‘Global Britain’ needs new approach to defence
The Armed Forces already have ambitious plans to fight the wars of the future. Let’s fund them properly
The issue of national security turned out to be a surprise factor in deciding the outcome of the general election, which is why it makes sense for Boris Johnson’s new Government to pay serious attention to protecting Britain’s interests.
For their own very different reasons, neither of the main parties was keen to make defence a central part of their campaigns: Labour because even the most committed Corbynista realised it was not their leader’s strongest point, while the Tories did not want to remind voters of their desultory record on maintaining the strength of our Armed Forces.
Even so, it was an issue that was key to deciding the outcome, with the overwhelming majority of voters coming to the conclusion that Jeremy Corbyn, with his penchant for associating with Britain’s foes, could not be trusted with the grave duty of defending the realm.
The logical conclusion to be drawn from the election, therefore, is that, if the British people take a serious interest in the nation’s defence, then it behoves Boris Johnson’s new “People’s Cabinet” to do the same. And the best way to start is to ensure that our military, intelligence and security infrastructure has the appropriate resources to address future threats.
There have already been indications that Downing Street is planning to address the issue, although the initial briefings suggest the Johnson Government’s priority for the moment is to address the Ministry of Defence’s woeful record on procuring new equipment.
Such an approach, though, risks underestimating the enormous challenges that face our defence and security establishment as they work out the best way of restructuring themselves to deal with the dramatic changes in the nature of global conflict.
As General Sir Nick Carter, the head of Britain’s Armed Forces, made clear in his recent speech to London’s Royal United Services Institute, modern warfare is changing at an alarming, and bewildering, pace. While the threat posed by hostile states like Russia and Iran demands that we maintain the ability to provide a conventional military response, such as deploying warships, warplanes and soldiers to protect our interests, we also need to develop and integrate new war-fighting capabilities, like cyber warfare, into our existing structures.
Sir Mark Sedwill, the head of the Civil Service who also serves as national security advisor, has a good understanding of the rapid changes that are taking place from the time he spent working alongside Sir Nick as a diplomat during Nato’s recent combat mission in Afghanistan.
One of the lessons Sir Mark, who is set to play a pivotal role in the Government’s planned defence review next year, has drawn from his experience is the importance of what he calls “fusion”, where the military works closely with other key agencies, such as MI6 and MI5, to achieve a common end.
An example of the “fusion” concept was seen in the wake of last year’s Salisbury attack, when the military concentrated its resources on securing the area and identifying the nerve agent used by Russian intelligence, while MI6 coordinated the global campaign to destroy the Kremlin’s spying network in the West.
When modern warfare can take the form of disseminating fake news or hacking into sensitive political databases, as the Russians are alleged to have done during the 2016 US presidential election, the ability of the military to work in conjunction with other key security agencies will be vital to protecting our interests.
Moreover, contrary to the views held by some of Mr Johnson’s closest advisors, the military is well aware of the dramatic changes taking place in conflict, and is keen to highlight the importance of modernisation, transformation and experimentation when it comes to tackling future challenges.
The Army is actively looking at how to deploy high-end cyberwarfare units alongside conventional infantry battalions, while the Royal Navy is developing a new array of weaponry, including drones and robots, as part of its efforts to modernise the war-fighting capabilities of its two new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.
There are, then, already encouraging signs that Britain’s defence and security forces are in the process of undergoing radical reforms that should help to make them fit for purpose when it comes to the defence of the realm. This means the new Government’s priority should be to provide the leadership, as well as the funding, to support this ambitious plan to restructure our future defence needs.
Mr Johnson has spoken enthusiastically about his vision for “Global Britain”, one where – presumably – he attempts to restore the country’s international reputation after a decade or more of decline. Making sure our national security needs are properly structured and resourced would certainly help the Prime Minister to attain his ambitious vision to restore Britain’s standing as a global power.