Latest news with #warFightingReadiness
CNA
3 days ago
- General
- CNA
UK moving to 'war-fighting readiness' as it unveils results of strategic defence review
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the UK is moving to 'war-fighting readiness,' as he warned the frontline is already within the country. He was announcing the results of the Strategic Defence Review, the first big-picture look at the role of Britain's Armed Forces since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Stuart Smith reports.
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
UK to build attack subs as part of major defence review
Britain announced 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." - 'Blueprint for strength' - 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." The UK has been racing to rearm in the face of the threat from Russia and fears that US President Donald Trump will no longer help protect Europe. Starmer said the review would serve as "a blueprint for strength and security for decades to come", taking into account the increasing use of drones and artificial intelligence on the battlefield. His government pledged in February to lift defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027 in the "largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War". And despite budget constraints, it aims for spending to rise to three percent in the next parliamentary term, due in 2029. The Labour government has said it will cut UK overseas aid to help fund the spending. Based on the recommendations of the review, which was led by former NATO secretary general George Robertson, the government said Sunday that it would boost stockpiles and weapons production capacity, which could be scaled up if needed. This includes £1.5 billion ($2 billion) for building "at least six munitions and energetics factories", procuring 7,000 domestically built long-range weapons, and spending £6 billion on munitions over the current parliamentary term. The government also said late Sunday that it would build up to 12 new attack submarines as part of its AUKUS military alliance with Australia and the United States. Currently the UK is set to operate seven nuclear-powered Astute Class attack submarines, which will be replaced by the 12 AUKUS submarines from the late 2030s. The defence ministry also said it would invest £15 billion in its nuclear warhead programme and last week pledged £1 billion for the creation of a "cyber command" to help on the battlefield. - China 'challenge' - The last such defence review was commissioned in 2021 by the previous Conservative government, and was revised in 2023 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While launching the new review, Robertson said it would tackle threats from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, calling them a "deadly quartet". But in an op-ed article for The Sun newspaper, Starmer did not mention China, while warning that "The Kremlin is working hand in hand with its cronies in Iran and North Korea." The softer rhetoric on China is in line with the Labour government's efforts to thaw relations with Beijing, which reached new lows under former prime minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative government. The review describes Russia as an "immediate and pressing" threat, but calls China a "sophisticated and persistent challenge", according to The Guardian. At a time when Washington is demanding that its NATO allies bolster their own defences, Britain is considering strengthening its deterrent by buying nuclear-missile capable aircraft from the United States, The Sunday Times reported.
Fox News
4 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
British PM Keir Starmer moves UK military into 'war-fighting readiness'
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Monday that he is moving the United Kingdom's military into "war-fighting readiness" to address growing threats from Russia. During a visit to BAE Systems'Govan facility, a navy ship-building yard in Glasgow, Scotland, the prime minister laid out "three fundamental changes" to be made in response to the country's strategic defense review. "First, we are moving to war-fighting readiness as the central purpose of our armed forces," Starmer 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, to show them that we're ready, to deliver peace through strength." Starmer continued, "Now Britain has the finest service men and women in the world. We're showing them the respect that they deserve by delivering the biggest armed forces pay rise in 20 years and by pledging today that we will end the hollowing out of our armed forces. "We'll build a fighting force that is more integrated, more ready, more lethal than ever, backed by a stronger strategic reserve, fully trained and ready to mobilize at any time." The new approach comes as President Donald Trump has warned European nations to take more responsibility for their own security. Starmer's announcement focused on a "new era" of threats, citing the war in Ukraine, new nuclear risks and "daily cyberattacks," as well as reversing the post-Cold War defense decline. He called out "growing Russian aggression" in U.K. waters and skies, blaming "their reckless actions" for the increased cost of living "hitting working people the hardest." "The threat we now face is more serious, more immediate and more unpredictable than at any time since the Cold War," Starmer said. The U.K. government announced military plans in response to a strategic defense review commissioned by Starmer and led by George Robertson, a former U.K. defense secretary and NATO secretary general. It's the first such review since 2021. Months after Britain's last major defense review was published in 2021, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson said with confidence that the era of "fighting big tank battles on European landmass" are over. Three months later, Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine. Starmer's center-left Labour Party government says it will accept all 62 recommendations made in the review, aiming to help the U.K. confront growing threats on land, air, sea and in cyberspace. The second change, Starmer explained from Scotland, is ensuring "everything we do will add to the strength of NATO." "As we step up to take greater responsibility for our collective defense, the NATO alliance means something profound, that we will never fight alone," Starmer said. "It is a fundamental source of our strategic strength. That's why our defense policy will always be NATO first, something that's written through this review. The transformation we are driving in our defense must add up to Britain's biggest contribution to NATO since its creation. So that when we're building new capabilities at home, we are making our allies safer too, strengthening Europe, and strengthening our bridge to the US as Britain's first partner in defense." The third change laid out by Starmer is for the U.K. to "innovate and accelerate at a wartime pace so we can meet the threats of today and of tomorrow as the fastest innovator in NATO." He said such advancements would not mean "replacing people" or hardware, but would rather mean "learning the lessons of Ukraine" and ensuring "every capability we have works seamlessly together." "Drones, destroyers, AI, aircraft, each different branch of our armed services, fully integrated to create an army which is 10 times more lethal by 2035," Starmer said. The U.K. government said it's expanding the country's armed, nuclear-powered submarine fleet with up to 12 new SSN-AUKUS boats through a partnership with Australia and the United States. The government also says it will invest 15 billion pounds in Britain's nuclear arsenal, which consists of missiles carried on a handful of submarines. Details of those plans are likely to be kept secret. Starmer has already pledged to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, a boost from the current 2.3%, and to eventually get that up to 3%. GB News noted at the press conference Monday that Starmer hasn't committed to having 3% of the GDP go to defense spending within the next nine years, even as Germany's defense chief warned Russia could invade a NATO ally within the next four years. In his response, Starmer reiterated the U.K. as a "steadfast ally" to Ukraine and said the changes coming as a result of the review would be the best way to deter further conflict. The U.K. government will also increase Britain's conventional weapons stockpiles with up to 7,000 U.K.-built long-range weapons. Starmer said rearming would create a "defense dividend" of thousands of well-paid manufacturing jobs – a contrast to the post-Cold War "peace dividend" that saw Western nations channel money away from defense into other areas.
