A recently released government report has highlighted the increasing threats the UK is expected to face in the coming years, emphasizing the need for preparedness, including the possibility of conflict on UK soil. In response, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged a significant increase in the country’s defence budget over the next decade.
Have your say! If you were in charge, how would you raise the readiness of the British Armed Forces? Is it right to commit so much money to defence in a time when people are struggling? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.
The National Security Strategy document outlines the potential threats to the UK and the government’s proposed preparations, as reported by the Mirror. Addressing the threat of nuclear weapons from other nations is a key concern, as evident in the recent American and Israeli efforts to halt Iranian nuclear research through a bombing campaign.
The document further warns that major powers like China and Russia are seeking dominance in “outer space, cyberspace, the deep sea, and at the Arctic and Antarctic poles”.
Additional threats include covert tactics such as assassination, intimidation, espionage, sabotage, cyber attacks, and other forms of democratic interference. The security of the country’s critical infrastructure is also a concern, with undersea cables, energy pipelines, transportation, and logistics hubs being potential targets.
The report raises alarms that the UK may need to prepare for direct threats on its homeland, potentially in wartime situations, suggesting that hostile states could ally with terror organisations or criminals. It suggests: “For the first time in many years, we have to actively prepare for the possibility of the UK homeland coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario.”
Professor Anthony Glees from The University of Buckingham proposes conscription as a cost-effective way to bolster the UK’s defence. Speaking to the Mirror, he expressed his view: “One of the most important and cheapest ways we have of countering and addressing these myriad real threats to our way of life, increasing the size of our armed forces through some form of conscription, is totally ignored.”
He advocates a comprehensive national service, stating: “I favour conscription for national service for everyone capable of it. Not everyone should undergo military training as in weapons training; cyber skills, for example, for offensive and defensive purposes, are a form of weapons training. But those who are up for proper military training should be given it.”
To make the prospect more appealing amid escalating living costs, Professor Glees recommends offering significant enticements: “We can afford to offer our young people fabulous inducements to commit to a year’s national service, for example, cheap loans for mortgages, free university and college places.
“In the National Security Strategy, the Prime Minister says we need to ‘unleash a defence dividend, to use national security to strengthen our country’. Exactly so. That dividend is not simply AI and IT; it is our young people who need to understand that their future liberty relies on their willingness to serve. That is where conscription comes in.”
The government’s recent report cites the wartime resilience from World War 2 to revive the UK’s combat spirit, proclaiming: “The years ahead will test the United Kingdom… The direction it takes – and the decisions we take – will reverberate through the decades.
“We will need agility and courage to succeed, but we should be optimistic. We remain a resolute country, rich in history, values and in our capabilities. But most of all, there is the determination of the British people themselves. After all, we do not need to look too far into our history for an example of a whole-of-society effort, motivated by a collective will to keep each other safe.”
Have your say! If you were in charge, how would you raise the readiness of the British Armed Forces? Is it right to commit so much money to defence in a time when people are struggling? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.
