Latest news with #RichardBarrons
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Britain's defence review has grand ambition. Now it needs the money
The British defence review was asked to make its recommendations within the budgetary constraints of spending 2.5% of GDP on defence. But it is already clear that to meet its goals of transforming Britain's armed forces, to make them ready for war, there'll have to be more money. The review welcomes the government's "ambition" to spend 3% by 2034. But it also states that "as we live in more turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster". Several Nato allies are already spending more than 5% of their GDP on defence. But a defence source told the BBC that even the government's commitment to build up to 12 new attack submarines, as outlined in the review, would require an increase in defence spending to at least 3% of GDP. At a glance: Key points from government defence strategy Ministers say they believe they will reach that target in the next parliament, but there are no timelines or guarantees. The review highlights the war in Ukraine as evidence of rising threats and the fast pace of change. The over-riding message is that Britain's armed forces and the nation needs to transform to be ready for the possibility of war. Russia is described as an immediate threat. China is a sophisticated and persistent challenge. Iran and North Korea are described a regional disruptors. The review warns the unpredictability of these threats, along with the speed of change "has created alarming new threats and vulnerabilities" for Britain. The review says Britain's military needs to undergo a revolution – a pivot to new ways of fighting. One of the reports author's, General Sir Richard Barrons, described it as the "most profound" change in UK defence in 150 years. There will be be more drones and autonomous systems, as well as other technologies harnessing software and artificial intelligence, to speed up battlefield decisions. Essentially, what is already happening in Ukraine. There will still be "heavy metal", such as tanks, fighter jets and warships, but working more alongside autonomous systems. It is not just the military that will have to change. The review calls for a "whole of society approach". It says the government must have plans to achieve a transition to war if required. There should be a "defence readiness bill" to give the government more powers to support the mobilisation of industry and reserves, if required. The nation needs to do more to protect its critical national infrastructure, including undersea pipes and cables. The review says "a renewed focus on home defence and resilience is vital". Labour says this is the first defence review in a quarter of a century that will not lead to a cut in the overall size of the armed forces. During that time, the regular army has lost tens of thousands of troops. In 2010 it was more than a hundred thousand strong, and now it is just over 71,000 - still below its target strength of 73,000. The review highlights the need to tackle the crises in recruitment, retention and low morale. It says there should be an increase in the size of the regular army. John Healy, the defence secretary, said in the Commons on Monday that the regular army would be increased to 76,000 - but after the next election and with no specific date. This too has not been funded. The review provides strong reasons to invest more in defence and national security. Many who read it might reasonably conclude that it will require a significant uplift in defence spending. So far that increase has been incremental – not transformational. Other Nato allies agree on the growing perils in the world – and have responded by spending a lot more.
Belfast Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
AI, drones and missile defence investment part of UK new defence plans
There should be room for a 'small uplift' in the number of full-time Army soldiers, and personnel in back-office roles released to 'front line roles' under the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR). Defence Secretary John Healey has pledged to 'create a British Army that is 10 times more lethal' through software and long-range weapons, and committed to delivering 'the best kit and technology into the hands of our frontline forces'. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. The 'transformation' signalled by the SDR marks the 'most profound change for about 150 years in how you think about armies, navies and air force,' one of the authors of the review, General Sir Richard Barrons, said on Monday. The military have been told that 'an immediate priority' should be a 'shift towards greater use of autonomy and artificial intelligence', while the Army should be prepared to operate with 'a 20-40-40' mix between crewed systems, 'reusable' tech such as drones, and 'consumables' such as rockets, shells and missiles. Mr Healey has also pledged to 'protect the UK homeland' with 'up to £1 billion new funding invested in homeland air and missile defence'. Last month the Defence Secretary announced that casualties from drones in the war between Russia and Ukraine outnumber those inflicted by artillery, as he estimated that '70%-80% of battlefield casualties are now caused and inflicted by drones.' Sir Keir Starmer said that the UK will move to 'war fighting readiness', ahead of the review which he said would create a 'battle-ready, armour clad' nation. He also said he was '100% confident' the plans in the new strategic defence review – including extra attack submarines, £15 billion on nuclear warheads and thousands of new long-range weapons – could be delivered on current funding plans. The report has been produced in the context of the Government's pledge to increase defence spending earlier this year, but ministers have been warned that the 'turbulent times' we are living in mean that 'it may be necessary to go faster'. 'The plan we have put forward can be accelerated for either greater assurance or for mobilisation of defence in a crisis,' the authors say. Speaking in Scotland earlier on Monday, the Prime Minister said: 'When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready, and frankly show them that we're ready to deliver peace through strength.' The Government has pledged to accept all 62 recommendations in the review, which says that there is 'no scope' to reduce the number of regulars in the Army, RAF or Navy. The authors envisage 'an increase in the total number of Regular personnel when funding allows' with a 'small uplift in Army Regulars as a priority'. They also advocate an expansion in the cadet forces by 30% by 2030, with an overall of 250,000 signed up in the longer term. According to the MoD, as of April 2024 there were 'over 139,000 young people and 26,000 adult volunteers' across cadet units in the UK. Grasping AI and automation technology could also see thousands of military personnel and civil servants in jobs such as HR and finance 'move into front-line roles'. The review has been undertaken by former commander of the joint forces command General Sir Richard, alongside defence adviser Dr Fiona Hill, and former Nato general secretary Lord Robertson of Port Ellen. The report also lays bare the potential impacts on the UK's way of life in the event of a war. The authors say that as well as attacks on military bases in the UK and overseas, there could be missile attacks targeted at military and critical national infrastructure in the UK, as well as increased cyber attacks. There could also be attempts to disrupt the economy – particularly industries that support the armed forces – as well as efforts to manipulate false information and to try and undermine social cohesion. Britain is already subject to 'daily' attacks, according to the review, 'targeting its critical national infrastructure, testing its vulnerabilities as an open economy and global trading nation'. The review comes as the UK and allies are facing changing threats across the globe, amid Russia's continuing war in Ukraine. The authors warned that 'the international chessboard has been tipped over' and the 'certainties of the international order we have accepted for so long are now being questioned'. US President Donald Trump has been pushing for European countries to dramatically increase their defence spending rather than relying on Washington to subsidise the cost of their security. He has called for a 5% spending target, while Nato general secretary Mark Rutte has reportedly asked for members to spend 3.5% on their militaries by 2032 with a further 1.5% on defence-related projects. The Government will increase defence spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product from April 2027 with an ambition – but no firm commitment – to increase it to 3% during the next parliament. Introducing the review, Sir Keir said that 'a step change in the threats we face demands a step change in British defence to meet them'. 'We also need to see the biggest shift in mindset in my lifetime,' he said. 'To put security front and centre, to make it the fundamental organising principle of Government.'
South Wales Guardian
13 hours ago
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
AI, drones and missile defence investment part of UK new defence plans
There should be room for a 'small uplift' in the number of full-time Army soldiers, and personnel in back-office roles released to 'front line roles' under the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR). Defence Secretary John Healey has pledged to 'create a British Army that is 10 times more lethal' through software and long-range weapons, and committed to delivering 'the best kit and technology into the hands of our frontline forces'. 📍BAE Systems, Glasgow, today. Local opportunities, skilled work, community pride. That is what our transformation of defence will deliver. — UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) June 2, 2025 The 'transformation' signalled by the SDR marks the 'most profound change for about 150 years in how you think about armies, navies and air force,' one of the authors of the review, General Sir Richard Barrons, said on Monday. The military have been told that 'an immediate priority' should be a 'shift towards greater use of autonomy and artificial intelligence', while the Army should be prepared to operate with 'a 20-40-40' mix between crewed systems, 'reusable' tech such as drones, and 'consumables' such as rockets, shells and missiles. Mr Healey has also pledged to 'protect the UK homeland' with 'up to £1 billion new funding invested in homeland air and missile defence'. Last month the Defence Secretary announced that casualties from drones in the war between Russia and Ukraine outnumber those inflicted by artillery, as he estimated that '70%-80% of battlefield casualties are now caused and inflicted by drones.' Sir Keir Starmer said that the UK will move to 'war fighting readiness', ahead of the review which he said would create a 'battle-ready, armour clad' nation. He also said he was '100% confident' the plans in the new strategic defence review – including extra attack submarines, £15 billion on nuclear warheads and thousands of new long-range weapons – could be delivered on current funding plans. The report has been produced in the context of the Government's pledge to increase defence spending earlier this year, but ministers have been warned that the 'turbulent times' we are living in mean that 'it may be necessary to go faster'. 'The plan we have put forward can be accelerated for either greater assurance or for mobilisation of defence in a crisis,' the authors say. Speaking in Scotland earlier on Monday, the Prime Minister said: 'When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready, and frankly show them that we're ready to deliver peace through strength.' The Government has pledged to accept all 62 recommendations in the review, which says that there is 'no scope' to reduce the number of regulars in the Army, RAF or Navy. The authors envisage 'an increase in the total number of Regular personnel when funding allows' with a 'small uplift in Army Regulars as a priority'. They also advocate an expansion in the cadet forces by 30% by 2030, with an overall of 250,000 signed up in the longer term. According to the MoD, as of April 2024 there were 'over 139,000 young people and 26,000 adult volunteers' across cadet units in the UK. Grasping AI and automation technology could also see thousands of military personnel and civil servants in jobs such as HR and finance 'move into front-line roles'. The review has been undertaken by former commander of the joint forces command General Sir Richard, alongside defence adviser Dr Fiona Hill, and former Nato general secretary Lord Robertson of Port Ellen. The report also lays bare the potential impacts on the UK's way of life in the event of a war. The authors say that as well as attacks on military bases in the UK and overseas, there could be missile attacks targeted at military and critical national infrastructure in the UK, as well as increased cyber attacks. There could also be attempts to disrupt the economy – particularly industries that support the armed forces – as well as efforts to manipulate false information and to try and undermine social cohesion. Britain is already subject to 'daily' attacks, according to the review, 'targeting its critical national infrastructure, testing its vulnerabilities as an open economy and global trading nation'. The review comes as the UK and allies are facing changing threats across the globe, amid Russia's continuing war in Ukraine. The authors warned that 'the international chessboard has been tipped over' and the 'certainties of the international order we have accepted for so long are now being questioned'. US President Donald Trump has been pushing for European countries to dramatically increase their defence spending rather than relying on Washington to subsidise the cost of their security. He has called for a 5% spending target, while Nato general secretary Mark Rutte has reportedly asked for members to spend 3.5% on their militaries by 2032 with a further 1.5% on defence-related projects. The Government will increase defence spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product from April 2027 with an ambition – but no firm commitment – to increase it to 3% during the next parliament. Introducing the review, Sir Keir said that 'a step change in the threats we face demands a step change in British defence to meet them'. 'We also need to see the biggest shift in mindset in my lifetime,' he said. 'To put security front and centre, to make it the fundamental organising principle of Government.'
Rhyl Journal
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
AI, drones and missile defence investment part of UK new defence plans
There should be room for a 'small uplift' in the number of full-time Army soldiers, and personnel in back-office roles released to 'front line roles' under the recommendations of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR). Defence Secretary John Healey has pledged to 'create a British Army that is 10 times more lethal' through software and long-range weapons, and committed to delivering 'the best kit and technology into the hands of our frontline forces'. 📍BAE Systems, Glasgow, today. Local opportunities, skilled work, community pride. That is what our transformation of defence will deliver. — UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) June 2, 2025 The 'transformation' signalled by the SDR marks the 'most profound change for about 150 years in how you think about armies, navies and air force,' one of the authors of the review, General Sir Richard Barrons, said on Monday. The military have been told that 'an immediate priority' should be a 'shift towards greater use of autonomy and artificial intelligence', while the Army should be prepared to operate with 'a 20-40-40' mix between crewed systems, 'reusable' tech such as drones, and 'consumables' such as rockets, shells and missiles. Mr Healey has also pledged to 'protect the UK homeland' with 'up to £1 billion new funding invested in homeland air and missile defence'. Last month the Defence Secretary announced that casualties from drones in the war between Russia and Ukraine outnumber those inflicted by artillery, as he estimated that '70%-80% of battlefield casualties are now caused and inflicted by drones.' Sir Keir Starmer said that the UK will move to 'war fighting readiness', ahead of the review which he said would create a 'battle-ready, armour clad' nation. He also said he was '100% confident' the plans in the new strategic defence review – including extra attack submarines, £15 billion on nuclear warheads and thousands of new long-range weapons – could be delivered on current funding plans. The report has been produced in the context of the Government's pledge to increase defence spending earlier this year, but ministers have been warned that the 'turbulent times' we are living in mean that 'it may be necessary to go faster'. 'The plan we have put forward can be accelerated for either greater assurance or for mobilisation of defence in a crisis,' the authors say. Speaking in Scotland earlier on Monday, the Prime Minister said: 'When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready, and frankly show them that we're ready to deliver peace through strength.' The Government has pledged to accept all 62 recommendations in the review, which says that there is 'no scope' to reduce the number of regulars in the Army, RAF or Navy. The authors envisage 'an increase in the total number of Regular personnel when funding allows' with a 'small uplift in Army Regulars as a priority'. They also advocate an expansion in the cadet forces by 30% by 2030, with an overall of 250,000 signed up in the longer term. According to the MoD, as of April 2024 there were 'over 139,000 young people and 26,000 adult volunteers' across cadet units in the UK. Grasping AI and automation technology could also see thousands of military personnel and civil servants in jobs such as HR and finance 'move into front-line roles'. The review has been undertaken by former commander of the joint forces command General Sir Richard, alongside defence adviser Dr Fiona Hill, and former Nato general secretary Lord Robertson of Port Ellen. The report also lays bare the potential impacts on the UK's way of life in the event of a war. The authors say that as well as attacks on military bases in the UK and overseas, there could be missile attacks targeted at military and critical national infrastructure in the UK, as well as increased cyber attacks. There could also be attempts to disrupt the economy – particularly industries that support the armed forces – as well as efforts to manipulate false information and to try and undermine social cohesion. Britain is already subject to 'daily' attacks, according to the review, 'targeting its critical national infrastructure, testing its vulnerabilities as an open economy and global trading nation'. The review comes as the UK and allies are facing changing threats across the globe, amid Russia's continuing war in Ukraine. The authors warned that 'the international chessboard has been tipped over' and the 'certainties of the international order we have accepted for so long are now being questioned'. US President Donald Trump has been pushing for European countries to dramatically increase their defence spending rather than relying on Washington to subsidise the cost of their security. He has called for a 5% spending target, while Nato general secretary Mark Rutte has reportedly asked for members to spend 3.5% on their militaries by 2032 with a further 1.5% on defence-related projects. The Government will increase defence spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product from April 2027 with an ambition – but no firm commitment – to increase it to 3% during the next parliament. Introducing the review, Sir Keir said that 'a step change in the threats we face demands a step change in British defence to meet them'. 'We also need to see the biggest shift in mindset in my lifetime,' he said. 'To put security front and centre, to make it the fundamental organising principle of Government.'
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Growing geopolitical uncertainty casts shadow over UK defence review
Britain may not be at war, but the backdrop to next Monday's strategic defence review is the greatest geopolitical uncertainty since 1945. A set of loosely interconnected conflicts – led by Russia's continued assault on Ukraine and its related shadow war in Europe, and Israel's seemingly unending war on Hamas, which may lead to an attack on Iran – have not at all been restrained by a skittish White House with little interest in helping to promote peace in Europe. One of the three-strong review team is Fiona Hill, who was briefly and famously an adviser to Donald Trump in his first term. She is so worried about the disintegration of postwar norms that she believes the world is drifting towards a 'scenario that you had in world war one' where, in the run-up to the war, 'suddenly all these different interests and these different conflicts became, you know, basically intertwined with each other, [and] it becomes extraordinarily hard to disentangle'. Solving problems like these is likely to be beyond the ability of the 130-page document, jointly written by Hill, George Robertson, a former Nato secretary general, and Richard Barrons, a retired British army general. But its remit has been helped by the fact that difficult decisions about which equipment programmes to invest in and to cut have been deferred to a separate command paper in the autumn. Meanwhile, headline budgets to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 have already been announced by the prime minister, in February. 'What I'm expecting is that it's basically going to be an essay,' said Lawrence Friedman, a military strategy expert and emeritus professor at King's College London. Even so, the defence review has been rewritten several times since it was first completed in the spring, partly as a result of drafting battles across Whitehall. Another document – a national security strategy from Keir Starmer's national security adviser, Jonathan Powell – is due out in June. In the past, defence reviews have done a poor job of prediction. Boris's Johnson's 2021 integrated review, published in the aftermath of Brexit, emphasised a British tilt to the far-off Indo-Pacific, supported by occasional flag-flying visits from the Royal Navy's two new aircraft carriers that cost £6.2bn. But with Britain pouring more than £3bn a year of arms into Ukraine, the last review's goal to have a 'greater and more persistent presence' than any other European country in the Indo-Pacific looks irrelevant. This review's principal task is likely to be descriptive, though it runs into two difficulties: people and money. Statistics out this week show again that more people are leaving the military than joining. Army numbers are at a 300-year low of 70,860, down 2.3% over the past year, despite the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. The numbers of RAF and naval personnel have fallen by similar proportions, meaning that, according to one naval source, the navy can crew only four of its six Type 45 destroyers. The news flow around service life is dominated by stories about rape, sexual harassment and sexism across the military. Internal reviews over the last two years acknowledged misogyny and misconduct in the Red Arrows and the submarine service. In an inquest into the death of 19-year-old Gunner Jaysley Beck in February, the court found she killed herself after being assaulted and subsequently subjected to unwanted sexual attention. It prompted an outpouring of reports on online forums and social media from mostly female soldiers describing similar negative experiences. A commitment will be made in the defence review to invest a further £1.5bn in military accommodation, including urgent renovation for the 1,000 worst homes, a longstanding source of complaint. But in recent years the British military has had relatively few positive stories to tell, not least because it has been relatively inactive on operations, with the fraught rescue from Kabul in August 2021 the most significant recent effort. It was followed by the smaller airlift of 2,450 Britons and other western nationals from Sudan in the spring of 2023 as a civil war broke out. Although Labour promised a modest increase in defence spending in February, amounting to £5.3bn a year in real terms when the increase from the current 2.33% of GDP to the promised 2.5% goes through, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has an extraordinary capacity to soak up money. A former senior insider estimated that the MoD faced £5bn of cost pressures for next year, partly as a consequence of higher pay settlements announced by Labour, such as this year's 4.5%. There remains £16.9bn of unfunded commitments in the MoD's 10-year equipment plan. Spending on nuclear weapons is rising sharply: analysis by Steve Barwick, of Rethinking Security, concluded that the forecast cost of MoD's Defence Nuclear Organisation's 10-year equipment plan increased by 62% to £99.5bn in 2023. The most recent figure, for 2025, was more than £100bn, according to the MoD. At the same time, the challenge of maintaining the UK's ageing fleet of Vanguard submarines, which carry the Trident nuclear armed missiles, means individual patrol boats are undertaking record missions underwater, the last of which was 204 days long – more than nine months. A more immediate problem for the British military is how to resource and sustain a commitment to participate in a European-led 'reassurance force' for Ukraine, currently promised in the event of a durable ceasefire, if Russia can be persuaded to agree. A British contribution might amount to a brigade of a few thousand, as well as some command and control functions, though finding the troop numbers is likely to be a stretch, suggesting there will be more calls for extra spending. 'To be credible, the defence review needs to be backed by a cast-iron commitment to take defence spending to 3% of GDP by a specific date and 3.5% by 2035,' argued Peter Ricketts, a former national security adviser. But while no extra money is expected immediately, the financial debate may be moved forward not by the review but by Nato and Trump by the end of the month. Alliance members are considering a proposal from Mark Rutte, Nato's secretary general, to be tabled at its June summit in The Hague, to increase core defence spending to 3.5% by 2032, with a further 1.5% on cyber and transport and other military-related infrastructure. That would match Trump's demand that Nato members spend 5% of GDP on defence. 'I assume that in The Hague we will agree on a high defence spend target of in total 5%,' Rutte said this week.
