LONDON: British defence minister John Healey said on Wednesday he would free up 500 million pounds ($633 million) for military budgets over five years by scrapping a number of Royal Navy ships, decommissioning a drone system and retiring some helicopters.

“These will not be the last difficult decisions I will have to make,” Healey told parliament on Wednesday as he made the announcement. He said ending the capabilities would save the Ministry of Defence 150 million pounds over two years, and 500 million over five years, with all the savings retained within defence budgets.

“These decisions will deliver better value for money and ensure we are in a better position to modernise and strengthen UK defence,” Healey said.