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Metro
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Metro
Britain preparing for an attack by Russia and updating ‘secret war plans'
Sir Keir Starmer has ordered a review of Britain's war plans in response to growing fears of a potential direct military attack by Russia. Officials in the Cabinet Office are understood to be updating the 'homeland defence plan' spelling out how the government would respond to a strike by a hostile foreign state. The move comes following a series of threats against the UK from the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin's propagandists over its support for Ukraine. The updated blueprint will include scenarios in which Britain's critical national infrastructure is targeted by missiles, cyber attacks and even nuclear warheads. It will also set out contingency plans for sheltering government ministers and the Royal Family as well as maintaining key public services during wartime, according to The Telegraph. The Cabinet Office has already analysed the range of threats facing the UK and their potential impact. A risk assessment published in January found a successful attack was 'likely to result in civilian fatalities as well as members of the emergency services', while also causing serious economic damage and disruption to essential services. Last month, officials ran a scenario simulating the first night of Russia's bombardment against Ukraine to test the UK's air defences. Air Commodore Blythe Crawford, former head of the RAF Air and Space Warfare Centre, said the outcome was 'not a pretty picture'. The wargame tested the UK's response to 'hundreds of different types of munitions' attacking from several directions. It exposed vulnerabilities including a shortage of airfields and lack of hardened shelters leaving bases and fighter jets unprotected. Defence officials have called for Britain to develop its own version of Israel's vaunted Iron Dome system to repel missile attacks. Speaking in October, MI5 boss Ken McCallum said the UK's role in supporting Ukraine 'means we loom large in the fevered imagination of Putin's regime and we should expect to see continued acts of aggression here at home'. In the last year,he said the number of state threat investigations – inquiries into plots by hostile states – had surged by 48%. Outlining the broad range of threats faced by the security service, he said the agency is facing terrorist threats 'alongside state-backed sabotage and assassination plots, against the backdrop of a major European land war'. A government spokesman said: 'The UK has robust plans in place for a range of potential emergencies that have been developed and tested over many years.' Russia has reported a drone attack by Ukraine for the second night in a row. All four of Moscow's major airports closed for several hours during the overnight bombardment, which mayor Sergei Sobyanin said came 'from different directions'. check our news page.
Metro
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Metro
Britain preparing for an attack by Russia and updating 'secret war plans'
Sir Keir Starmer has ordered a review of Britain's war plans in response to growing fears of a potential direct military attack by Russia. Officials in the Cabinet Office are understood to be updating the 'homeland defence plan' spelling out how the government would respond to a strike by a hostile foreign state. The move comes following a series of threats against the UK from the Kremlin and Vladimir Putin's propagandists over its support for Ukraine. The updated blueprint will include scenarios in which Britain' critical national infrastructure is targeted by missiles, cyber attacks and even nuclear warheads. It will also set out contingency plans for sheltering government ministers and the royal family as well as maintaining key public services during wartime, according to The Telegraph. The Cabinet Office has already analysed the range of threats facing the UK and their potential impact. A risk assessment published in January found a successful attack was 'likely to result in civilian fatalities as well as members of the emergency services', while also causing serious economic damage and disruption to essential services. Last month, officials ran a scenario simulating the first night of Russia's bombardment against Ukraine to test the UK's air defences. Air Commodore Blythe Crawford, former head of the RAF Air and Space Warfare Centre, said the outcome was 'not a pretty picture'. The wargame tested the UK's response to 'hundreds of different types of munitions' attacking from several directions. It exposed vulnerabilities including a shortage of airfields and lack of hardened shelters leaving bases and fighter jets unprotected. Defence officials have called for Britain to develop its own version of Isreal's vaunted Iron Dome system to repel missile attacks. Speaking in October, MI5 boss Ken McCallum said the UK's role in supporting Ukraine 'means we loom large in the fevered imagination of Putin's regime and we should expect to see continued acts of aggression here at home'. In the last year,he said the number of state threat investigations – inquiries into plots by hostile states – had surged by 48%. Outlining the broad range of threats faced by the security service, he said the agency is facing terrorist threats 'alongside state-backed sabotage and assassination plots, against the backdrop of a major European land war'. More Trending Metro has contacted the Cabinet Office for comment. A government spokesman said: 'The UK has robust plans in place for a range of potential emergencies that have been developed and tested over many years.' Russia has reported a drone attack by Ukraine for the second night in a row. All four of Moscow's major airports closed for several hours during the overnight bombardment, which mayor Sergei Sobyanin said came 'from different directions'. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Vladimir Putin gives rare glimpse inside his gilded Kremlin apartment MORE: Everything we know about the US and Ukraine minerals deal MORE: Minerals for peace? Trump strong-arms Ukraine into controversial deal
Daily Mail
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
UK air defences 'overwhelmed by Russian missiles' in grim war game run after Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine
The UK's air defences were breached by Russian missiles in a grim war game, it was revealed today. A simulation run in the wake of Vladimir Putin 's full-scale invasion of Ukraine showed Britain could not prevent all strikes getting through. The scenario from 2022 was revealed by Air Commodore Blythe Crawford, head of the RAF Air and Space Warfare Centre until last week. In a talk at the Royal United Services Institute, he said before the exercise there had been an assumption that the UK homeland was safe. 'We have stood for years at the western edge of Europe feeling as though the rest of the continent stood between us and the enemy,' he said, according to The Times. 'We in the UK over the last few decades have become focused on being garrison safe and making assumptions that we are safe to operate from the home base because most of the wars we've been fighting have been overseas. The scenario from 2022 was revealed by Air Commodore Blythe Crawford, head of the RAF Air and Space Warfare Centre until last week (pictured in 2020) 'We need to reverse that thinking and assume that, from here on, we're under threat in the home base now as well.' The simulation - part of the RAF's £36million Gladiator programme - looked at how 'day one' of the conflict would unfold. The UK faced 'hundreds of different types of munitions' attacking from various directions. Air Commodore Crawford said the outcome was 'not a pretty picture', with some missiles making it through. He stressed that significant work had been done since then to bolster the defences. 'We [loaded] night one of Ukraine into that synthetic environment and played it out against the UK and, as you can imagine, it was not a pretty picture,' he said. 'It reinforced the fact that we really need to get after this.' It is thought the military has toughened some aircraft shelters and practised landing Typhoon aircraft on ice in Finland. An agreement signed with Germany in October included provisions to work on air and missile defence. There is a 'layered' approach from the RAF, Navy and Army working with Nato allies. An MOD spokesman said: 'The UK stands fully prepared to defend itself against any threat alongside our NATO allies. 'Our military is equipped with a range of advanced capabilities to provide a layered approach to air and missile defence. 'This includes the world-class Sea Viper missile system which has successfully shot down a Houthi rebel ballistic missile and attack drones in the Red Sea.'
Times
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Times
Russian missiles overwhelm Britain in simulated attack
Russian missiles overwhelmed the British military in an simulated air attack, it has emerged, prompting calls for homeland defence to be beefed up. In 2022, the RAF simulated the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as if the air attack were playing out on the UK. Some of the missiles are understood to have got through the defences. Air Commodore Blythe Crawford, who was until last week head of the RAF Air and Space Warfare Centre, said the military had assumed before the exercise that the UK homeland was safe. • Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump tells Putin to 'stop!' after airstrikes He told the Royal United Services Institute: 'We have stood for years at the western edge of Europe feeling as though the rest of the continent stood between us and the enemy. We in the UK over the last few decades have become focused on being garrison safe, and making assumptions that we are safe to operate from the home base because most of the wars we've been fighting have been overseas. 'We need to reverse that thinking and assume that from here on, we're under threat in the home base now as well.' He said that in 2022, after Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the British military simulated 'day one' of the conflict. In the war games — part of the RAF's £36 million Gladiator programme — the UK tried to defend itself from 'hundreds of different types of munitions' attacking from several directions. The result, Crawford said, was 'not a pretty picture'. It is understood some of the missiles got through British defences thanks to their sheer volume. 'Ukraine has made us all sit up, Crawford said. 'That drove some of the work we have been doing at the warfare centre to get after how we would solve a problem like that if a similar scenario hit the UK. 'One of the lessons we took away from that was, how do we model and simulate something like that? We [loaded] night one of Ukraine into that synthetic environment and played it out against the UK and as you can imagine it was not a pretty picture. It reinforced the fact that we really need to get after this.' Since the war game, the military has hardened some of its aircraft shelters and practised landing Typhoon aircraft on ice in Finland in its efforts to ensure that aircraft could land in unconventional environments. It is believed that the situation has improved and if the exercise now played in real life, a lot of the missiles would be intercepted by Nato forces. However, experts believe that more needs to be done to ensure that the UK can rapidly disperse its aircraft and other critical assets across the country within an hour if it comes under attack. The Ministry of Defence has sharply reduced the number of its airfields over recent years and has stopped using hardened bunkers. The external panel leading the strategic defence review, due to be published in the coming weeks, is said to have been left deeply concerned during its evidence-gathering by the holes in Britain's missile defences. Beyond the nuclear deterrent and the air defences provided by its Nato allies, the UK is almost totally reliant on its fleet of six Type 45 destroyers to ward off the ballistic missile attacks. The Type 45 is due to be decommissioned between 2035 and 2038. The Gladiator simulation system is used for 'highly classified and ultra-realistic' computer simulations on the ground, according to military chiefs. War games can be recorded and paused, so RAF personnel can learn from exercises and adapt. The system replicates real-life scenarios, allowing American and British aircrews to experience the same environment and threats. Pilots can carry out exercises and practise tactics and procedures that would be impossible in a live environment because of airspace limitations, aircraft availability or security constraints. An MoD spokeswoman said: 'The UK stands fully prepared to defend itself against any threat alongside our Nato allies. 'Our military is equipped with a range of advanced capabilities to provide a layered approach to air and missile defence. 'This includes the world-class Sea Viper missile system which has successfully shot down a Houthi rebel ballistic missile and attack drones in the Red Sea.'
