06-05-2025
Does Britain have the means to defend herself from the Russian threat?
SIR – A government spokesman has stated: 'The UK has robust plans in place for a range of potential emergencies' (' PM prepares for attack by Russia ', report, May 6). But are there the resources in place to carry them out?
Peter Wickison
Driffield, East Yorkshire
SIR – Updating 20-year-old contingency plans and advice documents is one thing but – unless we actually create defences, employ sufficient people and supply kit for our forces – this country will repeat the major errors of 1939 in not being physically prepared.
The main task of any government is accepted to be defending the country from attack. Far too little is presently being spent on actual defence.
Christopher Robson
Bedale, North Yorkshire
SIR – One would never close all the fire stations in a city, then hope that there are no fires in the five years while new ones are being built. Will any party actually take defence seriously?
Chris Ash
Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
SIR – From my experience of the Ministry of Defence, hopes that the Strategic Defence Review will provide a comprehensive appraisal of the current threats faced by the UK, and make recommendations to address them, are over-optimistic.
It is not an independent review. The military planners will not have had total freedom to lay out their concerns and remedies. Their papers will have been scrutinised and tweaked at every turn by the Civil Service. And, in the end, it is the politicians who will decide what can and can't be said – meaning the finished product will not include anything that could cause the Government political or financial embarrassment.
Ron Powell
Barry, South Glamorgan
SIR – If the Prime Minister believes there is any risk of a direct military attack on Britain, he should not send a significant element of our depleted naval and airpower to the Indo-Pacific.
The HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group will soon be on the other side of the world, with the majority of our new fifth-generation F35 strike-fighters, a large number of anti-submarine and airborne early warning helicopters, an air-defence destroyer, a multi-role frigate and a highly capable cruise-missile armed submarine.
As far as the Russian nuclear threat is concerned, there is little point in the Government planning to prepare Britain for this scenario as, even with improved civil contingency measures, our public services would be massively overwhelmed. The focus should be on deterring such an attack by reminding Vladimir Putin that any use of weapons of mass destruction will be met with an instant and devastating response.
Rear Admiral Philip Mathias (retd)
Director of nuclear policy, 2005-2008 Southsea, Hampshire
