Latest news with #warfighting
News24
3 days ago
- Business
- News24
UK shifts to ‘war-fighting readiness', plans to build 12 new submarines
The UK is set to boost military spending. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the country was moving to a 'war-fighting readiness'. Britain will also build 12 new attack submarines. Britain announced it will build 12 new attack submarines as it launched a major defence review Monday 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 cyber-attacks, 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 is 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. Keir Starmer Secondly, the prime minister insisted that UK defence policy will '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.' 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 it 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. Henry Nicholls/Pool/AFP His government pledged in February to lift defence spending to 2.5% 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 3% 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 on 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 on Sunday that it would build up to 12 new attack submarines as part of its AUKUS military alliance with Australia and the US. Andy Buchanan/AFP 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. 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 US, The Sunday Times reported.
Al Jazeera
4 days ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
UK unveils major military boost in face of rising Russian threat
The United Kingdom has announced a major boost to its defence infrastructure to confront a 'new era of threats' driven by 'growing Russian aggression'. The package, unveiled on Monday, includes huge investments in a nuclear warhead programme, a fleet of attack submarines and munitions factories and is part of a Strategic Defence Review that Prime Minister Keir Starmer said will shift the country to 'war-fighting readiness'. 'The threat we now face is more serious, more immediate and more unpredictable than at any time since the Cold War,' Starmer said as he delivered 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 defence review, the UK's first since 2021, was led by former NATO Secretary-General George Robertson. Starmer said it would bring 'fundamental changes' to the armed forces, including 'moving to war-fighting readiness', recentring a 'NATO first' defence posture and accelerating innovation. '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,' he said. 'The front line, if you like, is here.' The UK has been racing to rearm in the face of what it sees as a growing threat from Russia. Fears that the United States has become a less reliable ally under President Donald Trump and will downsize its military presence in Europe as Trump demands NATO states raise their defence spending are other significant factors. Starmer's government pledged in February to lift defence spending to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product by 2027, which would mark the 'largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War'. The government has said it will cut overseas aid to help fund the spending. Based on the recommendations in the review, the government said on Sunday that it would boost stockpiles and weapons production capacity, which could be scaled up if needed. A total of 1.5 billion pounds ($2bn) will be dedicated to building 'at least six munitions and energetics factories' with plans to produce 7,000 long-range weapons. As a result, total UK munitions spending is expected to hit 6 billion pounds ($8.1bn) over the current parliamentary term, which ends in 2029. There are also plans to build up to 12 new attack submarines as part of the AUKUS military alliance with Australia and the US. The Ministry of Defence also said it would invest 15 billion pounds ($20.3bn) in its nuclear warhead programme. Last week, it pledged 1 billion pounds ($1.3bn) for the creation of a 'cyber command' to help on the battlefield. The review described Russia as an 'immediate and pressing' threat while calling China a 'sophisticated and persistent challenge'.
The Sun
08-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
UK will be ‘war-fighting ready' in biggest military shake-up since WW2 as govt ‘secretly' prepares for Russia attack
BRITAIN will return to full 'war-fighting readiness' in the biggest military shake-up since World War Two, Sir Keir Starmer has declared. In a VE Day speech at the London Defence Conference, the Prime Minister unveiled plans for a sweeping overhaul of the Armed Forces - as fears grow Europe stands on the brink of conflict. 2 2 The PM said the landmark 'root and branch Strategic Defence Review' would be launched in the coming weeks to boost national resilience and overhaul every aspect of defence. It comes after reports this week claiming Britain is secretly preparing for a direct military attack by Russia. According to The Telegraph, a classified dossier has been commissioned, which will set out how the Government would respond to a declaration of war. This would include bunkers to protect the Cabinet and the Royal family, public service broadcasts and the stockpiling of resources. Sir Keir said: 'Mark my words, the British defence industry will be the engine of national renewal, because this isn't just about increasing our defence. It's also about reform, rebuilding, and in coming weeks, we'll publish a first of its kind, root and branch Strategic Defence Review. 'It will scrutinize every aspect of defence to determine how we can best meet the threats of today and return Britain to war fighting readiness.' He vowed to deliver the 'largest pay rise for over 20 years' for troops, better homes for service families, and an end to years of underinvestment. But he argued the most radical pledge was a major cultural shift - to put security front and centre of the entire machinery of government. The PM said: '(We are going) to see security and defence, not as one priority amongst many others, but as the central organising principle of government, the first thought in the morning, the last at night, the pillar on which everything else stands or falls. 'Because, as in 1945 this has to be a collective endeavour, a national effort, a time for the state, business and society to join hands in pursuit of the security of the nation and the prosperity of its people.' After announcing a £563 million contract for Rolls-Royce for the maintenance of Britain's fleet of Typhoon fighter jets, he added: 'We're going to do that with the most ambitious programme of work to secure and rebuild our country since 1945.' Ministers have been keen to stress the boost to jobs and prosperity that plans to increase the UK's defence spending to 2.5 per cent of economic output by 2027 could provide, as they desperately try to grow the economy. The Strategic Defence Review - or SDR - was ordered by the PM last autumn to deliver the biggest shake-up of Britain's military since the Cold War. It's being drawn up by top brass including ex-NATO chief Lord Robertson, former forces commander Sir Richard Barrons and Russia expert Fiona Hill, and promises a total overhaul of everything from troop numbers to cyber weapons and next-gen kit. The PM had planned to unveil a path to 2.5 per cent of GDP defence spending after the review was published. But after Donald Trump stormed back into the White House, rattling NATO allies, the pledge was rushed out early - partly paid for by slashing Britain's foreign aid budget
