PM’S defence plan is bold and far-sighted
The most impressive feature of the proposals Boris Johnson set out yesterday on the future of Britain’s Armed Forces is the sheer scale of his ambition. After decades in which governments have appeared more interested in reducing spending on the Services, Mr Johnson has set his sights on transforming the UK into Europe’s leading military power, an aspiration that will have a significant bearing on post-brexit Britain’s global standing.
At the heart of Mr Johnson’s vision is the desire to make the Royal Navy “the foremost naval power in Europe”, and a significant portion of the £16.5 billion extra funding Mr Johnson has secured from the Treasury will be spent on building new warships. But re-equipping the nation’s traditional military forces is only part of the story. Mr Johnson is also determined to embrace the new technologies that are likely to define the nature of future warfare. To this end, he is establishing a new space command, a national cybersecurity force and an artificial intelligence agency that will transform Britain’s war-fighting capabilities.
The creation of the space command, which aims to launch its first rocket from a new base in Scotland in 2022, reflects the growing importance of space in modern warfare. Russia and China are already working on weapons that can destroy and disrupt satellites, which play a crucial role in battlefield communications. And the development of an indigenous rocket launch system will provide Britain with its own ability to put weapons and satellites into orbit. The creation of a national cyber force also reflects the rapidly changing nature of modern warfare, where a well-directed computer virus can disable an enemy’s military power. Artificial intelligence is another technology that could revolutionise military operations by identifying potential threats and assessing the most effective response.
The Prime Minister, therefore, deserves immense credit not only for securing this generous settlement from the Treasury, which, historically, has taken a dim view of defence spending, but for the sheer breadth of his vision for transforming Britain’s military prowess. The conclusions reached by the Government’s Integrated Review will, with Brexit soon to be completed, also help to define Mr Johnson’s vision of Global Britain. With a military equipped for the warfare of the future, Britain will be a prized ally throughout the world.