Britain has prepared a 130-page overview of the urgent threat from Russia
Britain has prepared a 130-page strategic defense review that will warn of the "imminent and urgent" danger posed by Russia. The government is due to present it on June 2, The Guardian reports.
The review, written by three advisers to Prime Minister Keir Starmer , will draw on lessons learned from Russia's war against Ukraine.
The document will also focus on China, which will be described not as an enemy but as a "sophisticated and persistent challenger" that is sometimes willing to cooperate with Moscow, and two smaller "regional disruptors" – Iran and North Korea.
According to journalists, it will depict the highest military and security threat since the end of the Cold War, although it will not say that the intensity of Moscow's cyber and sabotage activities means that Britain is already deep into war with Russia.
The analysis, prepared by a panel of experts led by former NATO Secretary General George Robertson, is not expected to include any new commitments to defence spending. Instead, it will confirm a pledge made by Starmer in February to increase the defence budget to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 and to 3% in the next parliament.
But it is likely to be used to justify a significant increase in medium-term defence spending, expected to be agreed at a NATO summit later in June, which could reach more than £50 billion in real terms.
The review is also expected to address the size of the British Army amid reports that the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury are arguing over whether to include a commitment to increase numbers from the target of 73,000.
Data released this week shows that the size of the army has fallen to its lowest level since the time of Napoleon and even earlier: as of April 1, the number of soldiers undergoing continuous military training was 70,860, down 2.3% from the previous year.
The commitment to increase the size of the army by 5,000, if achieved, would cost around £2.5 billion a year in additional pay, accommodation, equipment and other resources. But if successful, it would help the military meet overseas commitments that are likely to grow in the coming years, the journalists write.
Starmer is expected to present the review plan at an event on June 2, before Healy presents the full document to parliament.
- On May 5, it became known that Britain and Germany would jointly develop a new "deep precision strike" weapon.
- On May 14, 2025, it became known that Britain had developed underwater drones with the AI-based Lura surveillance system, which would allow it to identify Russian submarines.
- On May 29, it was announced that Britain would create a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command to protect military networks from tens of thousands of cyberattacks.
