The widely anticipated remarks by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Knighton, in his annual lecture at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), appear to signal an effort by the government to return the UK to a stronger state of readiness amid rising threats. But senior military sources have warned that the government’s 10-year timeline to increase defence spending from 2.3% to 3.5% of GDP is far too slow.
The entire United Kingdom — not just its armed forces — must mobilise to deter the threat posed by Russia and the possibility of a wider European war, Britain’s army chief has warned.In what amounts to a rare national call to action, unseen since the height of the Cold War, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, has prepared a speech urging the British public to treat defence and national resilience as “a higher priority.”
According to excerpts released in advance by the Ministry of Defence, Russia’s war in Ukraine demonstrates that Vladimir Putin’s willingness to target neighbouring states “threatens the whole of NATO, including the United Kingdom.”
“Russian leadership has made clear that it seeks to challenge, limit, divide and ultimately destroy NATO,” the speech reads.Yet there was nothing in the speech fragments to indicate a push from Sir Keir Starmer’s government to accelerate defence spending, despite warnings from senior officers that the current budget trajectory is dangerously slow.
“THE FRONTLINE IS EVERYWHERE”
In a further warning, MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli will use a separate speech on Monday to caution that “the frontline is everywhere” in today’s “new age of insecurity.”“Chaos as an export is a feature, not a flaw, of Russia’s international engagement,” she will say in her first public remarks since becoming the first female head of the Secret Intelligence Service in October. “We must be prepared for this to continue until Putin is forced to change his calculations.”
NATO military and security leaders have increasingly sounded the alarm that Russia’s war could ignite a much broader conflict.
Just last week, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned that Europe must prepare for a confrontation with Russia on a scale endured by “our grandparents and great-grandparents” — a clear reference to the First and Second World Wars.
Simultaneously, UK Armed Forces Minister Al Carns said Britain is now “rapidly developing” plans to prepare the entire nation in the event of war.
BRITAIN LACKS A NATIONAL WAR PLAN
Sky News revealed last year that the UK currently has no national war plan to protect the country or mobilise its population.
During the Cold War, however, a detailed government “War Book” existed, outlining not only the military response but the role of the entire society — from industry to schools, transport systems, emergency services and local governments.
This framework was abandoned after the fall of the USSR, as successive governments took the so-called “peace dividend” and diverted funds away from defence toward priorities like healthcare and welfare.
Sky News and Tortoise have documented the weakening of both the UK’s armed forces and broader national resilience in their podcast series The Wargame.
“THE SITUATION IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN AT ANY POINT IN MY CAREER”
Air Marshal Knighton’s upcoming remarks point to an urgent need to rebuild national strength — not only military capacity but also civil preparedness.
“The situation is more dangerous than at any point in my career, and the response requires more than simply strengthening our armed forces,” his statement says.
“A new era for defence means the whole nation must be strengthened — not just the military and government. The war in Ukraine shows that Putin’s readiness to target neighbouring states, including civilian populations, potentially with new and destructive weapons, threatens the whole of NATO, including the United Kingdom.”
“This is a threat for which wider society must prepare, just as the military must. Our armed forces must always be ready to fight and win — that is why readiness is such a priority. But deterrence also depends on our national resilience: how we harness our full national power, from universities to industry, from the rail network to the NHS. National defence and resilience must become a higher priority for all of us.”
His remarks call for an unprecedented whole-society mobilisation — a concept not invoked since Britain’s Cold War–era preparations for a potential Third World War or nuclear confrontation.
“We are entering a period of deepening uncertainty — as our adversaries grow more capable and unpredictable, and as technological change accelerates beyond anything seen before.”