Military chief urges Britain to rebuild forces, prepare public for conflict

Britain must significantly enhance its preparedness to deter the threat of conflict, particularly from Russia, by fostering a greater willingness among the public to serve, expanding industrial weapons capacity, and developing critical defence skills, the country’s top military official said.

Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton, Chief of the Defence Staff, told the Royal United Services Institute that the United Kingdom has not yet felt the Russian threat “as acutely as many of our allies in Europe,” several of whom have already moved to increase defence procurement and, in some cases, reintroduce forms of national service, Reuters reports.

His remarks come as European countries seek to address gaps created by United States President Donald Trump’s calls for the continent to assume greater responsibility for NATO’s conventional defence capabilities, at a time when peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine remain fragile.

Knighton’s comments appeared aimed at urging Britain’s government, industry and wider society to take the prospect of a broader conflict more seriously and to respond with greater urgency.

“The Russian leadership has made clear that it wishes to challenge, limit, divide and ultimately destroy NATO,” Knighton said in his annual lecture. “It is clear to our allies that the risk to NATO and to the UK from Russia is growing. … Unless we are able to raise awareness and stimulate the conversation with society about the risks, we can’t expect the rest of government, society and industry to act or bear the costs.”

Russia, for its part, has repeatedly said it has no plans to attack NATO.

While stressing that “our objective must be to avoid war,” Knighton said Britain must nevertheless encourage more people to be ready to serve in both the regular armed forces and the reserves. He also called for building industrial capacity to meet the demands of re-stocking and re-arming, as well as developing the specialised skills required by the defence industry.

The “hollowing out” of the armed forces, he said, must be reversed, with Britain instead taking a leading role within NATO and winning “the race to exploit new technology and integrate it into our fighting system.”

“Sons and daughters, colleagues, veterans … will all have a part to play. To build. To serve. And if necessary, to fight. And more families will know what sacrifice for our nation means,” Knighton said. “That is why it’s so important we do explain the changing threat and the need to stay ahead of it.”

By Vafa Guliyeva