Army head: We need more funds to cope with Russian threat
BRITAIN must take action now so that the Armed Forces can tackle the threat from Russia, the head of the Army warns today.
General Sir Nick Carter will say Britain needs to ‘keep up’ with Vladimir Putin’s growing military strength or see our ability to take action ‘massively constrained’.
His stark words will be seen as a plea for the Ministry of Defence to be given more money ahead of a security review’s findings in the coming weeks.
Last night a defence source said the chiefs would no longer ‘shy away’ from outlining the threats we face, adding: ‘We need to get our act together if we are to be a serious player on the world stage.’ It follows fears that the British military is already short of funding.
At the Royal United Services Institute think-tank today, Sir Nick – the Chief of the General Staff – will say: ‘The time to address these threats is now, we cannot afford to sit back.
‘Our ability to pre-empt or respond to threats will be eroded if we don’t keep up with our adversaries. We must take notice of what is going on around us or our ability to take action will be massively constrained. Speed of decision-making, speed of deployment and modern capability are essential if we wish to provide realistic deterrence.’
Just last week RAF jets were scrambled to see off Russian bombers heading for UK airspace, while the number of Russian submarines close to British waters is at its highest since the Cold War.
The military has raised the prospect of Moscow cutting vital undersea web cables to create chaos in the UK. And, as Russia’s military is increasingly aggressive, Theresa May has also warned of a ‘campaign of cyber espionage and disruption’ from the Kremlin.
Intelligence agencies have accused Russian agents of trying to hack into the energy grid.
Sir Nick will say: ‘State-based competition is now being employed in more novel and increasingly integrated ways and we must be ready to deal with them. The threats we face are not thousands of miles away but are now on Europe’s doorstep – we have seen how cyber warfare can be both waged on the battlefield and to disrupt normal people’s lives. We in the UK are not immune from that.’
Sir Nick will also highlight Moscow’s hi-tech weaponry, pointing to the 26 Russian Kalibr missiles that hit Syrian targets after being fired from the Caspian Sea, 930 miles away.
The Army chief will say the threat of traditional warfare still remains, with Russia simulating attacks across northern Europe.
The defence source said the UK chiefs agreed with US analysis that ‘the threat of our time’ would be state- based rather than from terrorists. It comes ahead of the publication of a mini- defence review, which will conclude that more work is required to assess Britain’s military needs.
Insiders said defence chiefs will spend the next few months setting out a ‘stark’ assessment of what cash is needed to face down threats ahead of the autumn Budget, calling for billions more to ensure the security of the nation.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson and Chancellor Philip Hammond are said to have had heated exchanges over MoD funding.
‘We cannot afford to sit back’