UK Prime Minister Declares Most Severe Military Threat Since Cold War, Unveils Major Rearmament Plans

On Monday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to bring the nation into a state of "war readiness," unveiling plans to construct up to 12 new attack submarines and invest billions of pounds in advanced weaponry to strengthen the UK amid a tense global landscape marked by hostile Russian actions and a retreating United States.

This ambitious rearmament is part of a comprehensive defense review by the government, which outlined an increasingly perilous security environment and called for increased drone production alongside stockpiling more munitions and equipment.

“The threat we face today is more severe, immediate, and unpredictable than at any point since the Cold War,” Starmer stated during a speech at a Glasgow shipyard. He highlighted "the war in Europe, rising nuclear risks, daily cyberattacks," and "escalating Russian aggression in British waters and airspace."

Reinforcing his message, Starmer announced these plans shortly after one of the most intense air raids in the three-year conflict in Ukraine, in which Ukrainian drones targeted airbases deep inside Russian territory.

The defense review, led by former NATO Secretary-General George Robertson, was initiated last year shortly after Starmer’s election victory. Its urgency has grown amid mounting evidence of waning US commitment to European security and the former US president’s ambivalent, at times deferential, stance toward Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Key recommendations include acquiring up to 7,000 domestically produced long-range weapons and establishing a new cyber command, backed by a £1 billion (approximately $1.35 billion) investment in digital capabilities. Funding will also enhance protection for critical British underwater infrastructure and expand drone programs that have proven highly effective in the Ukraine conflict.

An additional £1.5 billion will be allocated to repair and upgrade military housing to support recruitment and retention in the British armed forces, which have dwindled to their lowest levels since the Napoleonic era.

Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director general of the Royal United Services Institute in London, described the plan as "the most ambitious defense review in a generation, and rightly so." He noted the UK faces "two simultaneous fundamental challenges: geopolitical and technological."

The government emphasized the economic benefits of increased defense spending but acknowledged uncertainty over how much the UK can afford amid ongoing fiscal constraints.

Starmer has committed to raising UK defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP, funded by reallocating foreign aid budgets. In an interview, he said the country needs to "move forward from there," but could not specify when spending would reach 3 percent, citing the need to clarify funding sources first.

The government’s statement outlined plans to significantly expand its nuclear-powered and conventionally armed submarine fleet, with up to 12 new vessels to be built through the Aukus security alliance with the United States and Australia, designed to counterbalance China’s growing influence.

However, doubts have emerged about the pact as US commitment to distant military alliances appears to be declining.

Chalmers commented that the UK’s submarine expansion "does not protect against a complete US disengagement but can provide some security in a scenario where the US is unwilling to export full submarines to Australia."

The government characterized the new strategy as a "historic shift in our deterrence and defense: moving toward war preparedness to deter threats and bolster security in the Euro-Atlantic region."

The review also calls for educating youth in schools about the armed forces’ role, as part of a "national conversation" intended to enhance the country’s readiness for conflict, alongside increasing cadet numbers by 30 percent. It suggests legislation granting the government enhanced reserve powers in the event of escalating war, including mobilizing reserves and accessing private sector infrastructure and industry.

In his address, Starmer reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to NATO and the transatlantic alliance, a policy he has consistently pursued in discussions on security and trade.

The review also proposes acquiring fighter jets capable of deploying tactical nuclear weapons, signaling a possible shift toward reduced reliance on the US nuclear umbrella.

Mike Martin, a Liberal Democrat legislator and military veteran, expressed via social media that the review details indicate "the British government no longer fully trusts US commitment to European security."

He added, "The unmistakable signal is nuclear weapons launched from the air," noting this capability is key to US strategy, allowing nuclear escalation without using submarine-based nuclear weapons to devastate Moscow.

The UK has conducted defense reviews roughly every decade since World War II, with the most recent completed in 2021 and updated in 2023.

Robertson, now a member of the House of Lords, was supported by Fiona Hill, a former advisor in the initial Trump administration, and Richard Barrons, former UK Deputy Chief of Defence Staff. Hill, a UK-born Russia expert, became an outspoken critic of Trump’s relationship with Putin after leaving the National Security Council in July 2019.

The tone of this latest document contrasts with the one published four years ago under Boris Johnson’s Conservative government, which pledged to deepen UK-US ties. That review outlined Johnson’s vision of a "Global Britain" post-Brexit, a concept largely abandoned by his successors and replaced by Starmer’s efforts to rebuild relations with the European Union.