THE UK is reviving a Cold War-era plan to prepare the country and civilians as the threat of war escalates.
The head of the armed forces said the Government War Book, scrapped after the fall of the Soviet Union, would be brought back for a new era of British defence.
Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank – defence chiefs warn we must be more preparedCredit: PA
Kemi Badenoch has criticised the delayed announcement of defence fundingCredit: UK MOD Crown copyright
Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, signals return of war playbookCredit: Alamy
Sir Richard Knighton, head of the armed forces, said a revised version of the Government War Book, scrapped after the fall of the Soviet Union, is being drawn up for a new era of British defence.
The Air Chief Marshal said this would apply “in a modern context, with a modern society, with modern infrastructure”.
As the shadow of war looms over our island, the government is ramping up funding and focus on defence capabilities.
Prime Minister has already pledged to increase defence spending from just over two per cent to 3.5 per cent.
Now, the government is set to revive its war playbooks – an essential part of UK resilience strategy from the First World War to the end of the Cold War.
Asked if the Government War Book is to be called up once more, Knighton confirmed: “I think that’s right.”
Speaking from the London Defence Conference, he told Sky News it was important the UK takes preparatory measures at home for a potential future war.
“ describes the transition to conflict as a military component, but it also has a civilian component,” he said.
“I talked before Christmas of the need that when we think about renewing our water infrastructure or electricity or infrastructure, to think about the threat of action from an adversary that is above the threshold of war, not just a hybrid threat.”
The defence chief said it was important to educate the public about the increasing threat to the UK posed by bad actors, and warned the relative peace of the past three decades may be a bygone era.
This follows Defence Secretary ‘s bombshell revelation that the UK had detected .
The deep-sea vessels were tracked 24/7 for a month before British and Norwegian forces sent them packing.
It is thought they were attempting to sabotage critical undersea cables in UK waters.
This year alone, Putin has sent 300 tankers from its shadow fleet through UK waters, according to The i Paper .
Many of these Russian ships are under British sanctions, but continue to sail through our waters under false foreign flags.
In recent months, the military has been granted greater powers to apprehend these shadow tankers, but none have yet been stopped.
Knighton issued a warning to those ships. Asked if any boarding operations would go ahead, he said: “Be in no doubt. We are ready.”
So far, though, the UK’s push back against increasing Russian liberties has been largely rhetorical.
One of the key factors Knighton and other defence leaders are battling with, is decades of military underfunding since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The 10-year Defence Investment Plan, due to be released last autumn, has still not been decided or even given a publishing date.
Tory leader has slammed Keir Starmer for being “all mouth and no trousers” on defence.
She called on the government to publish the investment plan next week, calling the delay a “national scandal”.
At the conference today, Badenoch pledged “the largest net increase in British troops under any government since the Second World War” if the Tories return to power.
This would be used to recruit 6,000 more soldiers and 14,000 reservists, she added.
They would also reallocate £17billion from government projects like net-zero “to create a new sovereign defence fund”.
Knighton suggested the delay was due to the attempting to get more money out of the Treasury.
He said: “What I want is a defence investment plan that is properly funded and delivers what we want.”
“If that takes a bit longer, I’d rather have something that works and we can deliver.”
As geopolitical tensions rise around the globe, the UK must do more to prepareCredit: Ministry of Defence
The defence chief said civilians would have to be educated to prepare them for potential warCredit: AFP
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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