COMMENTARY
GAVIN WILLIAMSON
SIX months ago, the very thought that an idyllic cathedral city in Wiltshire would be the scene of the fi rst chemical attack on Europe’s streets since the end of the Second World War would have been unthinkable.
Yet that attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury was a stark reminder that we’re living in an ever more dangerous age.
The whole nation is delighted that both are on the mend.
Their remarkable recovery is a tribute to the swift action of our great emergency services, and the unparalleled expertise of our Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and brave service personnel keeping Salisbury safe.
But though the future looks brighter for the Skripals, the danger to our nation has not diminished.
The character of warfare is changing. Old threats are returning to haunt us.
New ones are emerging. Terrorist groups are using drones to drop bombs, launching ballistic missiles against airports and anti- shipping missiles to target vital trading routes.
Meanwhile, resurgent states such as Putin’s Russia are increasingly assertive. The Kremlin continues to challenge us in every domain.
In less than a decade the RAF has been scrambled 58 times to respond to Russian military aircraft.
In 2010 the Royal Navy was called on just once to respond to Russian navy ships approaching UK territorial waters. Last year, that number had rocketed to 33.
Russian activity has increased ten- fold in the North Atlantic – a level not seen since the end of the Cold War.
Along the way, Russia has turned a blind eye to chemical carnage in Syria while using cyber attacks to disrupt governments and undermine democracy.
We have to adapt to meet the intensifying threat. So we’re making sure our Armed Forces have all the equipment and support they need to keep our nation safe whether in cyberspace, on land, in the air or at sea.
Yesterday at the RUSI Sea Power Conference, I set out my vision for a stronger Royal Navy.
We’re going to make sure the UK retains one of the world’s most formidable fl eets: nuclear Dreadnought submarines; Type 26 Global Combat ships; Type 23 frigates armed with supersonic Sea Ceptor missiles and new Merlin Mk4 helicopters, as well as our innovative future Commando Force.
All this plus our majestic new Queen Elizabeth fl agship with the punching power of our fi fth- generation F- 35 stealth fi ghters.
Next month those fast jets fl y home to Britain. Later in the year, F- 35s will fl y from the Queen Elizabeth’s decks.
Our carrier strike force is back and the message that it is sending couldn’t be clearer.
No matter the danger, Britain will continue projecting our power and extending our infl uence across the world for many
years to come.