Armed forces chief to warn ‘whole nation must step up’ amid Russian threat
Growing threats faced by the UK will require “our whole nation stepping up” to ensure the country can continue to function in a crisis, the head of the British armed forces will warn.
Chief of the defence staff Sir Richard Knighton will say the situation is “more dangerous than I have known during my career” as he makes the case for a society-wide approach to “defence and deterrence”.
He will call on “people who are not soldiers, sailors or aviators to nevertheless invest their skills – and money” on building up national resilience.
In a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) on Monday, Sir Richard is expected to say: “Our armed forces always need to be ready to fight and win – that’s why readiness is such a priority.
“But deterrence is also about our resilience to these threats, it’s about how we harness all our national power, from universities, to industry, the rail network to the NHS.
“It’s about our defence and resilience being a higher national priority for all of us. An ‘all-in’ mentality.
“And that will require people who are not soldiers, sailors or aviators to nevertheless invest their skills – and money – in innovation and problem solving on the nation’s behalf.”
Sir Richard will warn that Russian leadership has made clear its wish to “challenge, limit, divide and ultimately destroy Nato.”
Discussing the threats faced by Britain, he will say: “The situation is more dangerous than I have known during my career and the response requires more than simply strengthening our armed forces.
“A new era for defence doesn’t just mean our military and Government stepping up – as we are – it means our whole nation stepping up.”
He will announce £50 million for new defence technical excellence colleges, which provide short courses aimed at ensuring training can be accessed for new and existing staff in the defence sector more quickly.
The Ministry of Defence said he would also discuss “the need to rebuild our defence capabilities and the national infrastructure which underpins that resilience”.
On defence spending, Sir Richard is expected to say: “I find myself in a position that none of my predecessors during my career have faced, looking at the prospect of the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War.
“And that is because the price of peace is increasing.”
The head of the Royal Navy warned earlier this month Britain must “step up” on defence or risk losing its advantage in the Atlantic, as Russia continues to spend billions on its capabilities at sea.
In a speech in London, First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins said there was “no room for complacency” while Moscow invests heavily in its northern fleet.
Sir Gwyn said there had been a spike in “Russian incursion in our waters” – activity which is most visibly seen in the presence of spy ships like the Yantar near UK waters – but warned: “It’s what’s going on under the waves that most concerns me.”
The Government announced earlier this year that UK defence and security spending would rise to 5% of GDP by 2035 at the latest.
Last week, Nato secretary general Mark Rutte warned Europe was “Russia’s next target” and said countries should prepare for a “scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured”.
Sir Richard is expected to say: “We are heading into uncertainty, and that uncertainty is becoming more profound, both as our adversaries become more capable and unpredictable, and as unprecedented technology change manifests itself.”
By Nina Lloyd, Press Association Political Correspondent