PM May asked defense minister to justify UK status as 'tier one' military power: FT

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May asked her defense minister to justify the United Kingdom's status as a "tier one" military power, the Financial Times reported, just weeks before a major NATO summit. The FT said May told Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson that he needed to rethink the capabilities needed to be a modern military force and focus more on Britain's ability to tackle any cyber warfare threats, including from Russia. May's office denied the report. "It is categorically untrue to suggest that the UK's position as a Tier One Defence Nation is somehow in question," said a spokesman on Thursday. May's spokeswoman later told reporters Britain was a leading military power and that the prime minister was committed to ensure that remained the case. The defense ministry declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. The FT report coincided with a visit to London by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg ahead of the alliance's summit in Brussels next month. Asked how he would feel about Britain becoming a nation with fewer military capabilities, he said: "I urge the United Kingdom to maintain its leading role and that's good for the UK, that's good for NATO, and we need all the capabilities that the UK provides the alliance." (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; additional reporting by Andrew MacAskill; editing by Stephen Addison)