Latest news with #GreyZone
Spectator
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Grey zone warfare is here. Britain must catch up
The 'grey zone' is the kind of ominous jargon beloved of the military, but for once it is well named: a wide range of hostile activities between states which stops short of the threshold of full-scale conflict, including espionage, cyber disruption and disinformation. It is a state which is neither peace nor war, and it is expanding all the time. The House of Commons Defence Committee has just published a report on the subject, Defence in the Grey Zone. It emphasises that, while the vast majority of the population has become insulated from conflict, this kind of activity brings the reality of disruption and violence to our everyday lives and is being exploited by our adversaries, especially Russia. Labour MP Tan Dhesi, chair of the committee, warned: Are we at war? Yes and no Grey zone threats pose a particularly insidious challenge – they unsettle the fabric of our day-to-day lives and undermine our ability to respond. Grey zone threats bring war to the doorstep of each and every one of us. These attacks do not discriminate; they target the whole of our society and so demand a whole of society response, in which we all must play our part. Echoing the language of the recently published Strategic Defence Review, the report concludes that we need a 'whole-of-society' approach to these threats, and that, while the armed forces have a key role to play, they can only be part of a wider part of national security and resilience. It urges the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to engage with business and industry, schools, community groups and society at large to raise awareness of the threat, but also to share technological expertise and experience of crisis management. By spreading the responsibility, the armed forces will then be able to focus on those tasks which only they can carry out, like maritime and air patrol and deterring and defeating traditional military threats. What are we actually talking about? The report points to critical national infrastructure like undersea cables – around 60 individual cables carry 99 per cent of data to and from the UK – and the protection of shipping lanes, for supply and for the movement of military forces in time of war. It also stresses the vulnerability of many of our businesses and industries to disruption through cyber attack. These are not hypothetical threats we may have to face at some undetermined point in the future. They are happening now. Remember that in 2018 agents of Russian military intelligence, the GRU, tried to murder Sergei Skripal, a former double agent holding British citizenship, and his daughter Yulia by poisoning in Salisbury; three months later, two more people were poisoned by carelessly discarded traces of the same Novichok nerve agent, and one, Dawn Sturgess, died. Russian hostile activity goes much further than this. Three men have just been convicted of an arson attack in March 2024 on a warehouse in east London from where humanitarian aid and communications technology were being shipped to Ukraine. They were acting on behalf of the Wagner group, the Kremlin-controlled private military company. And last August I wrote in this magazine about Russian surveillance of military sites in the UK. It is not just Russia. China is heavily involved in espionage in the UK: Christine Lee, allegedly an agent of the Chinese Communist party's United Work Front Department, spent years lobbying and donating to British politicians until the security service issued an interference alert for her in 2022. The following year, Chinese businessman Yang Tengbo was denied entry to the UK on the alleged grounds that he was using a relationship with Prince Andrew to spy for Beijing. Are we at war? Yes and no. It would certainly be disingenuous to say our relationships with Russia and China are harmonious; to frame it as neutrally as possible, the governments of both countries are actively involved in undertakings which are harmful to our national interests. That is why the Defence Committee's report is so timely and so urgent. The committee makes various specific recommendations: there should be a dedicated homeland minister to coordinate action across Whitehall; Royal Navy warships should be equipped to operate for extended periods in the Arctic to support the potential deployment of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) in the High North; we should reinforce the JEF and maintain a more powerful military presence in the Baltic Sea. All these are worth considering. The most important point comes towards the end of the report: At societal level, the Ministry of Defence should draw on its understanding of the threats faced to make a greater impact by proactively engaging far more with wider society… to help generate a dialogue around those threats to the UK and build consensus around a common response. Peeling away the language of a committee: the threat is here, now, and it is substantial. We need to provide the resources to match it, but we also need the mentality to understand that Russia and China are focused on their interests and do not mean us well. Our adversaries have no illusions, and we cannot afford them either.
Daily Mirror
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Brit kids 'must do their bit' amid threat of war in UK, government report warns
Chilling escalation in "grey zone' warfare against the UK by Russia and its allies means every one of us Britons needs to do our bit to allow the military to prepare for war Britain has been plunged into a dangerous crisis zone 'between peace and war' with increasing attacks from hostile states led by Russia, an alarming new report reveals. And the cross-party Defence Committee has called upon Britons - including even children - to be taught measures to combat the threat, which is just below the 'threshold for war.' Called Defence in the Grey Zone it warns we need a 'whole of society' approach to beat attacks from countries such as Russia. It warns the UK is being targeted in the 'Grey Zone' between peace and war and it is worsening daily with attacks of sabotage, espionage, cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns. One of the biggest threats that may still be below the threshold for all-out war, it to the UK's undersea cables linking Britain and Europe's communications to the US. And chillingly the report, out today but launched two years ago, said that: 'Recently, the speed, scale and intensity of grey zone threats in the UK has increased.' It identifies the main and immediate threat as Russia, which has become alarmingly aggressive since the Ukraine invasion and the UK's support for Kyiv. The report reads: 'Russia's hostility has long been evident.' 'Witness the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 and the assassination attempt on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury in 2018 using the Novichok nerve agent, but has accelerated significantly since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It argues that the MoD must help spread awareness of the threat to wider society, even dumping some responsibility for the battle on schoolchildren. And once society has become used to the precautions it must take against hostile threats, that will leave the military to prepare for the possibility of going to war. The report says: 'Defence in the Grey Zone' urges the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to proactively engage with wider society – including businesses, schools and communities – to help generate an informed dialogue around grey zone threats to the UK and build consensus around a common response. 'The MOD could pitch this 'offer' to society, in conjunction with building cyber skills and awareness – from protecting critical national industries, and preventing ransomware attacks, to teaching school children to stay safe online. 'By sharing its crisis management expertise with other departments and wider society, the MOD can help strengthen long-term resilience planning and preparedness across the UK. 'This would also allow the Armed Forces to focus on their primary responsibility during any serious international conflict, deterring or defeating military threats. . .' The Committee argues that nobody in the UK is excluded from the daily threat which chairman, Labour MP Tan Dhesi says helps 'unsettle the fabric of our day-to-day lives.' He added: 'Grey zone threats bring war to the doorstep of each and every one of us. These attacks do not discriminate; they target the whole of our society and so demand a whole of society response, in which we all must play our part.' And he said the nature of this new Cold War - often called a 'hybrid war ' means the responsibility of fighting it does not just fall on the MoD. He said: 'The MOD plays an important part in defending the nation from grey zone attacks, but it is only a part. 'We must now assume that any vulnerability will be exploited against us. The industries and technologies we rely on most are clear targets for hostile states. This is why, in today's report, we are calling for a shoring up of our digital and cyber skills and protections. The report argues that often hostile states disguise the source of the attack by using proxies, such as extremist sympathisers, 'hacktivists' or criminal gangs. These can launch cyber or sabotage attacks leaving the enemy state at arm's length.
Hindustan Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Trump exits diplomats from mid-east as talks look set to fail: these U.S. bases may be under threat
In just 24 hours, the U.S.–Iran nuclear drama has escalated dramatically. Iran has threatened to target American military bases across the Middle East. The U.S. has begun pulling out its troops. And the IAEA has just confirmed that Iran is no longer complying with its nuclear obligations, for the first time in 20 years. So, is this brinkmanship or a prelude to war? In this episode of Grey Zone, Ananya Dutta unpacks the fast-moving developments that are pulling Washington, Tehran, and Tel Aviv into a dangerous triangle. What is Israel planning with its threats of a solo military strike? Why is Donald Trump signaling military flexibility while evacuating U.S. personnel? And with diplomacy stuck on uranium enrichment, who stands to gain from this rising tension? This isn't just posturing—it may be a red line in slow motion. Watch as we break down the bases, the battleships, and the battlegrounds at play.
Hindustan Times
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
How U.S. & Iran are ‘weaponising' nuclear talks & why it could reshape Middle-East power dynamics
The U.S. and Iran are back at the negotiating table. But is this really about nuclear weapons — or is something else going on? As Washington and Tehran exchange proposals, veiled threats, and strategic silence, the real game is being played in the shadows. Behind the scenes, pressure is replacing compromise, and diplomacy is being weaponised. So what's at stake here? Is this about uranium enrichment or leverage over the Middle East? Why is Israel lurking in the subtext of every American statement? And why is the IAEA, the UN's nuclear watchdog stuck in a no-win position? From snapback sanctions to regional flashpoints, in this episode of Grey Zone, Ananya Dutta breaks down how the Iran-U.S. talks could reshape the geopolitical map without a single missile being fired.
Hindustan Times
10-06-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Zelensky's towns burn under cheap drones: How China is outsmarting West in Russia's war on Ukraine
The biggest drone strike in the Ukraine-Russia war's history has just taken place. But this wasn't just about military retaliation, it was a show of force, tech, and alliances. In this episode of Grey Zone, Ananya Dutta unpacks how drones are no longer just tools of war—they are rewriting its very DNA. We dive into Ukraine's 'Operation Spiderweb,' where cheap FPV drones allegedly outsmarted Russia's air fleet using AI. Then comes the counter: Russia's massive retaliatory strike powered by swarm drones, fiber-optics, and Chinese tech. From Mavic drone diplomacy to alleged deployment of Chinese laser weapons on the battlefield, what is really happening in the skies over Ukraine? Has the Ukraine war turned into a global testing ground for next-gen weaponry? Is the China-Russia drone alliance reshaping warfare in real-time? And what happens when innovation is driven not in labs, but in live combat zones?
