Britain’s head of the armed forces issued a dire warning.
British soldiers (Image: Getty)
The head of Britain’s armed forces has revealed plans to prepare the UK for war amid a dire warning that the country is “really quite close to the threat of an armed conflict”. Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton told Sky News an updated version of the Government War Book is being prepared.
The broadcaster reported on Friday that the plan would draw on lessons from the Cold War, but “in a modern context, with a modern society, with modern infrastructure”. Meanwhile, Dr Rob Johnson, Director of the Changing Character of Conflict Centre at Oxford University, raised the spectre of an approaching armed conflict.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton says the plan considers how civilians can help (Image: Getty)
A majority of indicators of conflict preparation and armed attack on the expert’s dashboard are now flashing, according to the broadcaster.
Dr Johnson said: “We’re about 94%, 95% complete. In other words, we’re really quite close to the threat of an armed conflict.”
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton said he thought it was right when asked if the Government War Book was being revised.
The top-secret war book was first developed during World War I. It was maintained throughout the Cold War and detailed how the UK would mobilise society in a crisis, from deploying armed forces to the rationing of supplies.
It was phased out in the early 2000s, following the Soviet Union’s collapse in December 1991.
Sir Richard told Sky News the plan would consider how to protect water, energy and transport infrastructure from enemy action.
He said it would also consider how to educate the public about the growing threats to the UK and how to help civilians understand their role in supporting the country and Britain’s armed forces.
Dr Johnson said governments would take extraordinary steps. This might include restricting movement, rationing food and fuel, as well as using the media to promote patriotism and demonise enemies.
He went on to criticise Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, accusing him of failing to respond to current conflicts by rapidly increasing defence spending.
He told Sky News: “The lack of preparation I find astonishing. Actually, no, I use the word breath-taking.”
Sir Keir and Defence Secretary John Healey have pledged to increase defence spending to 3.5% by 2035.
The Government still has not released an investment plan for Britain’s armed forces. It details what weapons and capabilities the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will procure.
The Defence Investment Plan should have been published last autumn, but the Government has yet to confirm when it will be published.