Nightmare of how Putin would flatten Britain: Ports and airfields bombarded, oil rigs and satellites sabotaged and waves of cyber attacks feared if Russia pounces
Putin could overwhelm Britain's defences with swarms of explosive kamikaze drones, long-range missiles and crippling cyber hacks if the UK had to fight a war this year.
That's the chilling warning issued by the landmark Strategic Defence Review (SDR), which exposed the vulnerabilities the UK needs to urgently fix to prepare for war.
In a comprehensive 144-page document, revealed yesterday, defence chiefs outlined the five terrifying 'methods of attack' Britain should brace itself for if it was forced into a major conflict with the likes of Russia.
Military bases, ports and airfields in the UK and around the world would be the first to come under siege, blasted by waves of drones and long-range cruise, ballistic or hypersonic missiles.
Oil rigs, subsea cables, satellite communications and merchant vessels would also find themselves in the crosshairs of any onslaught by Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, with saboteurs seeking to damage or destroy them.
And a shadowy digital army of hackers would also launch a devastating barrage of cyber attacks, targeting government bodies, stock exchanges, communications and other critical infrastructure in a bid to paralyse Britain.
The SDR warned: 'Based on the current way of war, if the UK were to fight a state-on-state war as part of Nato in 2025, it could expect to be subject to some or all of the following methods of attack:
Attacks on the armed forces in the UK and on overseas bases
Air and missile strikes from long range drones, cruise and ballistic missiles targeting military infrastructure and critical national infrastructure
Increased sabotage and cyber attacks
Attempts to disrupt the UK economy - especially the industry that supports the armed forces - through cyber attacks, intercepting shipping trade and attacks on space-based infrastructure
Efforts to manipulate information and undermine social cohesion and political will
The dossier warned major attacks could target military bases and outposts in the UK and across the globe.
Among the key targets would be the Royal Navy's three main bases in Portsmouth, Plymouth and Clyde, as well as overseas HQs like RAF Akoritiri in Cyprus, the RAF's new base in the Middle East at Al Minhad Air Base and the Diego Garcia outpost in the Indian Ocean.
Describing the threat faced by Britain, the review continued: 'The UK and its allies are once again directly threatened by other states with advanced military forces.
'The UK is already under daily attack, with aggressive acts - from espionage to cyber-attack and information manipulation - causing harm to society and the economy.
'State conflict has returned to Europe, with Russia demonstrating its willingness to use military force, inflict harm on civilians, and threaten the use of nuclear weapons to achieve its goals.
'More broadly, the West's long-held military advantage is being eroded as other countries modernise and expand their armed forces at speed, while the United States' (US) security priorities are changing, as its focus turns to the Indo-Pacific and to the protection of its homeland.'
The defence dossier also warned of: 'Air and missile attack from long-rage drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, targeting military infrastructure and critical national infrastructure in the UK.'
Currently, Britain has a limited air defence capability - with military chiefs and experts previously warning the nation would be overwhelmed if it faced a drone and missile onslaught on the scale of those seen in Ukraine, Russia and Israel.
Britain's new defence drive - at a glance
Britain's new weapons drive review made a list of more than 60 recommendations to enable the UK to 'pivot to a new way of war'.
They include:
Increasing the size of the army by 3,000 soldiers to 76,000 troops in the next parliament. The review also aims to boost the 'lethality' of the army ten-fold, using drones and other technology.
A 20 per cent expansion in volunteer reserve forces. However, this is only when funding is available and will not likely happen until the 2030s
Reviving a force of tens of thousands of veterans to fight in a crisis. A similar scheme dubbed the 'Strategic Reserve' was used during the Cold War before being axed.
Investing more in new tech like AI, lasers and robots. The paper also warned Britain must develop new ways to counter biologic weapons.
Opening up the possibility of the UK buying warplanes capable of carrying American-made nuclear missiles. Currently, Britain's nuke arsenal is the responsibility of the Royal Navy, who took over the role from the RAF decades ago.
Boosting the size of the cadet force, made up of schoolchildren, by 30 per cent and offering a 'gap year' to people interested in sampling military life.
New investment in long-range missiles, submarines, munitions factories and cyber warfare HQs.
Over the weekend, the ease at which cheap drones strapped with explosives could deal a crippling blow to even the most powerful militaries was demonstrated.
In one of its most audacious attacks of the war, Ukraine unleashed 'swarms' of kamikaze drones from the backs of trucks to obliterate two of Putin's key airfields deep inside Russia.
Dubbed 'Operation Spiderweb', the co-ordinated strikes left Putin humiliated and seeking revenge - with dozens of his prized doomsday warplanes razed to the ground.
Two remote military airfields, Olenya in the Arctic Murmansk region and Belaya in eastern Siberia, were rocked by massive explosions, with dramatic footage showing fires raging for hours.
The bases, located thousands of miles from Ukraine, are critical to Russia's nuclear strike capability and were considered untouchable.
Yet Ukraine's daring raid saw them struck with deadly precision, using first-person-view (FPV) drones launched from unmarked vans parked near the airfields.
Ukraine's security service, the SBU, claimed to have hit $7billion (£5.2billion) worth of military equipment. Each of the drones used cost several hundred pounds by comparison.
The ease of the barrage is likely to alarm defence planners in Britain, which would currently struggle to fend off such an assault.
In a devastating verdict on the state of the UK's defences, the SDR said today's armed forces are 'not currently optimised for warfare', with inadequate stockpiles of weapons, poor recruitment and plummeting morale.
'The international chessboard has been tipped over,' a team of three experts that led the review wrote in a foreword to the document.
'In a world where the impossible today is becoming the inevitable tomorrow, there can be no complacency about defending our country.'
The UK has limited ground-based defences, which includes the Sky Sabre missile system capable of blowing cruise missiles and fighter jets out of the sky.
However, Britain would rely on the Royal Navy's six Type 45 destroyers to take down faster ballistic or hypersonic missiles which Russia has used to blitz Ukraine.
Defence Secretary John Healey has insisted more cash will be pumped into to bolstering the UK's air defences.
Writing in a foreword to SDR, Mr Healey said 'up to' £1bn would be invested in 'homeland air and missile defence' as well as the creation of a new cyber and electromagnetic warfare command.
The review also warned citizens to brace themselves for 'attempts to disrupt the UK economy, especially the industry that supports the armed forces, including through cyber attack, the interdiction of maritime trade, and attacks on space-based critical national infrastructure'.
Finally, it warned the UK would face a huge propaganda onslaught designed 'to manipulate information and undermine social cohesion and political will'.
As part of the new defence blueprint the Government is committing £1.5bn to set up at least six munitions factories, and will support the procurement of up to 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons.
Ministers unveiled plans to build six munitions factories in the UK and produce 7,000 long-range weapons, including attack drones and precision missiles
The review has set out plans to grow the British Army, renew the nation's nuclear weapons arsenal and expand the UK's school-aged cadet force to up to 250,000 to get the country ready for 'whole of society approach' to defence and resilience.
As part of the overhaul in military thinking, British fighter jets could soon carry nuclear weapons for the first time.
Army units based in Estonia will be equipped with hundreds of fearsome HX-2 kamikaze drones.
And more than £1.5billion in extra funding will go to military homes in response to the review.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned a 'step change in the threats we face demands a step-change in British defence to meet them'.
Sir Keir called the review a 'radical blueprint' that would drive forward investments in shipbuilding, drone technology and cyber defences.
'The threats we face are no secret. War in Europe. New nuclear risk,' the premier wrote in the Sun on Sunday.
'The Kremlin is working hand in hand with its cronies in Iran and North Korea. We face daily cyber attacks.
'The Royal Navy has chased off Russian spy ships loitering in our waters.
'The RAF has scrambled to intercept Russian planes that menace our skies.'
Speaking on Monday, the PM added: 'We need to see the biggest shift in mindset in my lifetime to put security and defence front and centre – to make it the fundamental organising principle of government.'
However, the Conservatives criticised Labour, saying investment in munitions factories has been too slow and that the Treasury had held back the funds to achieve the PM's defence vision.
Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said the Chancellor has used the SDR to put an 'effective freeze' on new orders for military kit.
'It's a bit rich of Labour to talk about 'always on' munitions production when procurement has been largely switched off for the past year,' he said.
He added: 'Of course, we welcome investment in new munitions factories, but we don't know when they will be ready, only that these orders should have been placed months ago.
'Ultimately, we need to see greater ambition for the pace and scale of rearmament our armed forces require, given the threats we face and the need to replace inventory gifted to Ukraine.
'That means three per cent of GDP by the end of this parliament, and Labour properly prioritising defence spending – instead of seeking to outspend Reform on welfare.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
Zelensky dons new look to meet King Charles ahead of Nato summit
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky visited the UK for meetings ahead of a Nato summit. During his visit, Mr Zelensky met with King Charles at Windsor Castle, swapping his characteristic military fatigues for a black blazer for the royal meeting. He also met with Sir Keir Starmer to discuss Ukraine's defences and strategies to increase pressure on Russia. Zelensky's visit follows recent Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, which killed at least 10 civilians. He said preliminary reports indicated Russia used North Korean missiles and described Russia, North Korea, and Iran as a "coalition of murderers".
The Independent
14 minutes ago
- The Independent
Fox News host trashes former colleague Tucker Carlson as ‘pro-Putin' following Trump's Iran strikes
Fox News host Trey Gowdy took a none-too-veiled swipe at his former colleague Tucker Carlson and far-right podcaster Steve Bannon on Sunday night, claiming the MAGA isolationists represent the 'pro-Putin wing' of the GOP and that they've been 'begging' Donald Trump not to join Israel in its war with Iran. During a Sunday evening interview with Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), who has long been critical of Carlson (and vice versa) and once even threatened to 'kill' him, Gowdy referenced the unsuccessful efforts by Carlson and Bannon to push Trump away from bombing Iran – all while framing it as part and parcel to their criticisms of America's support of Ukraine amid its three-year war with Russia. 'Congressman, there are few people I know who know the cost of war better than you do,' Gowdy noted. 'So, you mentioned Ukraine, and there is a pro-Putin wing within the party.' Without directly naming Bannon and Carlson, Gowdy continued: 'There are two notable people, one a podcaster and one a former television show host, who literally were begging President Trump to let Israel go it alone.' In recent weeks, Carlson – who was fired by Fox News in 2023 despite hosting its top-rated primetime show – and Bannon have been relentless in their criticism of the conservative cable giant amid Israel's preemptive bombing campaign against Iran. While warning Trump that going to war with Tehran could 'end his presidency' because many 'America First' supporters would feel he's reneging on his promise of no more 'forever wars,' the pair have torn into Fox News and its hawkish hosts for urging the president to take military action and push for 'regime change' in Iran. 'What they are doing is what they always do, which is just turning up the propaganda hose to full blast, and just trying to knock elderly Fox viewers off their feet and make them submit to more wars,' Carlson told Bannon earlier this month. Carlson also specifically called Fox News owner, and his former, boss Rupert Murdoch, as well as longtime Fox star (and Trump confidante) Sean Hannity and weekend host Mark Levin – with whom he's been engaged in a bitter back-and-forth – of being 'warmongers.' Bannon, meanwhile, has gone even further with his broadsides against the top-rated right-wing network. During his War Room podcast on Friday and in comments to Semafor over the weekend, the former Trump strategist – who recently lunched with the president amid the intra-MAGA civil war over Iran – essentially accused Fox of being a paid Israeli proxy. 'People on the right are now confronting an unpleasant reality, a great unmasking: The Murdochs don't put America's interests first,' he told Semafor. 'There needs to be a thorough FARA investigation into Fox's relationship with a foreign power.' Meanwhile, Trump has closely clung to Fox News as it's pushed for direct military confrontation with Iran, all while dismissing Carlson because he no longer works for a cable news network – revealing that the president is still largely influenced by what comes across his TV screen, regardless of the role 'manosphere' podcasters played in his electoral victory. On the broadcast, Gowdy, who filled in as a temporary replacement host in Carlson's time slot following Fox's abrupt termination, went on to ask if there is 'also a moral argument that strong nations should help those who are under attack.' While Gowdy only implicitly referenced Carlson, Crenshaw made it explicit with his response by name-checking the former Fox News star. 'There's certainly a moral argument, but those people don't care about moral arguments, Trey. The argument you can make to them, which is valid, is the self-defense one,' the congressman declared. Adding that the United States is the 'true target of Iran,' Crenshaw insisted that the Iranian government was enriching uranium for nuclear weapons to use against America – claiming this is something Carlson and others aren't taking into consideration. At the same time, Crenshaw seemed to hint that there was a hidden agenda afoot with Carlson's anti-war commentary on Iran. 'What those people get wrong – and Tucker, like you mentioned, and I question their motives also and what's causing these very strange opinions to be had,' Crensahw said. 'Put that aside for a second, what they don't truly understand – they think we're the ones in front of Israel. They think we're the ones stopping Iran from destroying Israel. It's the other way around! Israel is the first speed bump between us and Iran.' Amid Carlson's repeated shots at his former network in the run-up to war with Iran, Fox News hosts and commentators have largely steered clear of returning rhetorical fire on Fox airwaves at their ex-colleague – though Levin has repeatedly torn into Carlson during his radio show and on social media. Gowdy's 'pro-Putin' swipe, meanwhile, would appear to reference Carlson's extremely sympathetic stance towards Russia and its autocratic leader Vladimir Putin – especially after the Kremlin launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine back in 2022. Carlson, whose pro-Russia monologues during the early days of the Ukraine War were promoted by the Kremlin, scored an obsequious interview with Putin himself – which has since been taught at Russian schools. During his trip to Moscow to speak with the Russian president, Carlson also f ilmed a number of propagandistic videos gushing over the nation's grocery stores and subway system. Meanwhile, since Trump decided to drop over a dozen bunker-busting bombs on Iran this past week, Carlson has remained radio silent and has not publicly commented on the strikes.
Daily Mail
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Ukraine's Zelensky meets the King and PM in London ahead of Nato summit as UK vows to help Kyiv gear up military production in Russia war
The UK and Ukraine will work together more closely on industrial military production, Sir Keir Starmer said today after welcoming Volodymyr Zelensky to Downing Street. The Ukrainian president arrived in Downing Street for talks ahead of the Nato summit in the Netherlands, having had lunch with the King. Sir Keir and Ukraine's president met with troops from Operation Interflex, which sees the UK and other allies train Ukrainian soldiers for frontline fighting, in the No10 garden. There the Prime Minister announced plans for a new agreement with Ukraine. 'We've discussed the issues across the conflict, what more we can do to support,' the PM said. 'I'm really proud that this afternoon we are able to announce an industrial military co-production agreement, the first of its kind so far as Ukraine and the UK are concerned, which will be a massive step forward now in the contribution that we can continue to make, and is really a symbol of not only our joint work in this conflict, but the 100-year agreement that we've put in place.' Charles and Mr Zelensky were earlier pictured chatting as they made their way through Windsor Castle, and smiling as they shook hands in the Grand Corridor. During his visit to London, the Ukrainian leader was also welcomed to the Palace of Westminster and met Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and his Lords counterpart, Lord McFall of Alcluith. His arrival in the UK follows reports that Russia fired 352 drones and 16 missiles at Ukraine overnight, killing at least 10 civilians including seven in Kyiv. Mr Zelensky said preliminary reports indicated Russia had used North Korean missiles to attack Kyiv and described those two countries, and Iran, as a 'coalition of murderers'. His visit to London takes place the day before Nato leaders are set to meet in The Hague for a two-day summit, with increased defence spending top of the agenda. Mr Zelensky has been invited to the summit but will not take part in its main discussions, and it is still unclear whether he will attend at all.
