When he was Chancellor, Brown was heard to remark that he did not like the military because they tended to vote Conservative. This mindset explains his reluctance to give the military the funding they need.
He is well known for favouring projects which will create government work in marginal seats and clearly feels that paying for 5 million people on benefits is money well spent.
Brown is a despicable politician whom the military should keep at arms length. Any chance of a coup?