UK to publish major defence review to face ‘new era of threat'

Straits Times

2 days ago

Prime Minister Keir Starmer cautioned on June 1 that the UK was being 'directly threatened' by hostile states as his government announced a raft of new defence measures. PHOTO: REUTERS
London - Britain is set to publish on June 2 a major review of its defence strategy and armed forces as the government warned of 'growing' Russian aggression and the changing nature of modern warfare.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer cautioned on June 1 that the UK was being 'directly threatened' by hostile states as his government announced a raft of new defence measures.
'We will restore Britain's war-fighting readiness as the central purpose of our armed forces,' he said in a statement.
The UK has been racing to rearm in the face of the threat from Russia and fears that US President Donald Trump will no longer help protect Europe.
On June 2, the Labour government will publish its Strategic Defence Review, a document that will assess threats facing the UK and make recommendations.
The review warns that Britain is entering 'a new era of threat' as drones and artificial intelligence transform modern warfare, The Guardian newspaper reported over the weekend.
Mr Starmer said it would serve as 'a blueprint for strength and security for decades to come'.
His government pledged in February to lift defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 in the 'largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War'.
And despite budget constraints, it aims for spending to rise to 3 per cent in the next parliamentary term, due in 2029.
The Labour government has said it will cut UK overseas aid to help fund the spending.
'Daily' attacks
The last such defence review was commissioned in 2021 by the previous Conservative government, and was revised in 2023 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Based on the recommendations of the review, which is led by former Nato secretary general George Robertson, Mr Starmer announced measures to boost stockpiles and weapons production capacity, which could be scaled up if needed.
This includes £1.5 billion (S$2.6 billion) for building 'at least six munitions and energetics factories', procuring 7,000 domestically built long-range weapons, and spending £6 billion on munitions over the current parliamentary term.
The government also said it would build 12 new attack submarines as part of its Aukus military alliance with Australia and the United States, and invest £15 billion in its nuclear warhead programme.
The defence ministry last week pledged £1 billion for the creation of a 'cyber command' to help on the battlefield.
'We're in a world that is changing now... and it is a world of growing threats,' Defence Secretary John Healey told the BBC in an interview on June 1.
'It's growing Russian aggression. It's those daily cyberattacks, it's new nuclear risks, and it's increasing tension in other parts of the world as well,' he said.
'Sophisticated challenge'
While launching the review, Mr Robertson said it would tackle with threats from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, calling them a 'deadly quartet'.
But in an op-ed in The Sun, Mr Starmer did not mention China, while warning that 'The Kremlin is working hand in hand with its cronies in Iran and North Korea'.
The softer rhetoric on China is in line with the Labour government's efforts to thaw relations with Beijing, which reached new lows under former prime minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative government.
The review describes Russia as an 'immediate and pressing' threat, but calls China a 'sophisticated and persistent challenge', according to The Guardian.
At a time when Washington is demanding that its Nato allies bolster their own defences, Britain is considering strengthening its deterrent by buying nuclear-missile capable aircrafts from the United States, The Sunday Times reported.
Without confirming or denying, Mr Healey said on June 1 that 'strong deterrence is absolutely essential in order to keep Britain and the British people safe'. AFP
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