Britain unveils radical defence overhaul
Britain announced on Monday that it would build 12 new attack submarines as it launched a major defence review to move the country to "war-fighting readiness" in the face of "Russian aggression" and the changing nature of conflict.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that "the threat we now face is more serious, more immediate and more unpredictable than at any time since the Cold War," as he launched the review in Glasgow.
"We face war in Europe, new nuclear risks, daily cyberattacks, growing Russian aggression in our waters, menacing our skies," he added.
The Strategic Defence Review, which assesses threats facing the UK and makes recommendations, said that Britain was entering "a new era of threat". As a result, Starmer said his government aimed to deliver three "fundamental changes".
"First, we are moving to war-fighting readiness as the central purpose of our armed forces," he said.
"Every part of society, every citizen of this country, has a role to play, because we have to recognise that things have changed in the world of today. The front line, if you like, is here."
Secondly, the prime minister insisted that UK defence policy would "always be NATO first", and finally that the UK "will innovate and accelerate innovation at a wartime pace so we can meet the threats of today and of tomorrow."
Addressing parliament later Monday, Defence Secretary John Healey said the world had entered a "new era" and vowed to make the UK army "10 times more lethal" by combining future drone technology and artificial intelligence with the "heavy metal of tanks and artillery".
"We face war in Europe, growing Russian aggression, new nuclear risks and daily cyberattacks at home," he said.
"Our adversaries are working more in alliance with one another, while technology is changing the way war is fought -- we are in a new era of threat." AFP
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