Starmer: Britain is starting to prepare for war
British Prime Minister Starmer will present a review of the country's defense policy, which will be a "signal to Moscow," writes The Independent. However, this vast array of plans to ensure Britain's security and its power abroad runs into one big problem — a lack of money.
Kate Devlin
The Prime Minister intends to present the long-awaited review of defense policy, which, according to Defense Secretary John Healey, will be a "signal to Moscow."
In response to the rapid increase in global threats, Britain intends to build 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines, as announced by Sir Keir Starmer, presenting his long-awaited review of defense policy.
The Ministry of Defense will also spend 15 billion pounds on new warheads for Britain's nuclear deterrent forces as part of a plan to prepare the country for war, which the Prime Minister will announce for the first time.
Ministers must act "decisively to counter Russian aggression" and ensure Britain's "security at home and power abroad," Defense Secretary John Healey said.
Sir Keir called the 130-page defense policy review, due to be published on Monday, a "radical project" and promised it would lead to a "wave of investments" in shipbuilding, drone technology and cyber defense.
Announcing the plans, which he said would bring "defense dividends" by providing tens of thousands of highly skilled jobs, Sir Keir is expected to say that thanks to them, Britain will rise to the challenge, and "our armed forces will receive the necessary equipment to ensure our security... and at the same time, there will be more new opportunities."
The report includes 62 recommendations that are expected to be adopted by the Government.:
— A "serious" increase in readiness for war in order to contain the growing threats
— Construction of up to six new factories for the production of ammunition, which in a crisis situation will be able to significantly increase production
— A new arsenal of 7,000 long-range weapons manufactured in Britain
— A new cyber command to counter the "ever-increasing" threat of cyber warfare
— 1.5 billion pounds for the construction of housing for military personnel due to accusations of inattention to their needs, which led to the withdrawal of people from the army.
The announcement of investments in nuclear weapons comes just weeks after the Labor leader promised to destroy Vladimir Putin's "shadow fleet" that is evading international sanctions. The United Kingdom Navy is also increasingly concerned about the hostile activities of the Russian state in the Arctic, which is a key flank of Europe and is crucial to Britain's security amid concerns about threats to critical infrastructure such as the underwater cables that supply the country with electricity.
As part of these plans, the British fleet of submarines with conventional weapons and nuclear power plants will be significantly increased, with new submarines being built under an agreement with the United States and Australia known as the Aukus Partnership.
At the moment, the Ministry of Defense has five Astute-class submarines, and by the end of next year their number should increase to seven. The fleet of nuclear submarines will also receive a boost due to the previously announced program to increase the number of warheads, which will cost 15 billion pounds, which was announced for the first time.
According to forecasts by the Ministry of Defense, these investments will help provide 30,000 highly skilled jobs across Britain, and the plans developed will require significant infrastructure upgrades at the Nuclear Weapons Center in Aldermaston.
Healy said: "Our outstanding submariners conduct patrols around the clock and seven days a week to ensure the safety of us and our allies, but we know that threats are increasing and we must resolutely resist Russian aggression."
"With the latest submarines patrolling international waters and our own program to build nuclear warheads on British shores, we ensure Britain's 'security at home and power abroad.'
On Sunday, Minister Healey called the defence review a "signal to Moscow" and said the UK was facing "daily" cyber attacks from Russia. In total, there were 90,000 attacks on British defense systems associated with various states.
When asked if an attack from Russia would begin in the coming years, he replied: "We have to be ready. NATO must be ready. We see how Putin is trying to redraw international borders through force in Ukraine... This is an integral part of the increasing Russian aggression."
That is why Britain and NATO are "building up their deterrence and deterrence capabilities, as well as their defense capabilities for the future," he added. "We are preparing for war to keep the peace."
But plans to increase the size of the army will not take effect until at least the end of 2029, Healy admitted.
Shadow Defence Minister James Cartlidge said: "All the promises of the Labor Party outlined in the strategic defense review will be viewed with disbelief if it is not possible to show that there will be enough money to fulfill them. And Rachel Reeves (British Chancellor of the Exchequer — approx. InoSMI) not only did not guarantee financing, but also abandoned John Healy to his fate.
"Just recently, on Thursday, Healy promised that defense spending would certainly amount to 3% of GDP, but today he completely departed from his promises. These submarines will not be commissioned until the end of the 2030s. So can we be sure that Labor will actually build them if their defense spending policy didn't even last 48 hours?"
Liberal Democrat spokeswoman Helen Maguire said: "This sends the absolutely right signal that Britain needs to strengthen its defenses in the face of Putin's imperialism and Trump's unreliability. But this should be accompanied by specific commitments and detailed information about financing. The "ambitions" rather than the Labor Party's commitment to ensure that 3% of GDP is allocated to defense raise serious questions about whether funds will actually be allocated to these projects."
"The mentioned dates — 2034 — indicate an alarming lack of a sense of urgency from the government. If Labor does not commit to cross-party negotiations on how to achieve the 3 percent target much faster than in the mid-2030s, then this statement risks turning into empty talk."
Shadow Justice Minister Robert Jenrick welcomed Healey's statement that he had "no doubt" about increasing defense spending to 3% of GDP by 2034, but he said he was skeptical about these words.
"We think 2034 is too long, given the severity of the situation," Jenrick said on Sky News' Sunday Morning with Trevor Philips program.
