Daijiworld Media Network - London
London, Dec 16: Britain’s new head of the armed forces on Monday warned that more citizens would need to be prepared to fight for their country as the world becomes increasingly dangerous, amid growing threats from Russia.
Chief of the Defence Staff Richard Knighton said the current security situation was the most serious he had witnessed in his career and called for a nationwide response beyond just strengthening the military.
“The situation is more dangerous than I have known during my career and the response requires more than simply strengthening our armed forces,” Knighton said while addressing the Royal United Services Institute, a defence-focused think tank. “A new era for defence doesn’t just mean our military and government stepping up, it means our whole nation stepping up.”
Knighton stressed the need for “national resilience” in the face of what he described as a growing risk from Russia, which has been at war with Ukraine for nearly four years following its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
“It means more people being ready to fight for their country,” he said, referring to a wider European debate on defence preparedness. He added that while regular forces would expand, the government was also planning a major increase in active reserves and cadets.
“More families will know what sacrifice for our nation means,” Knighton said, announcing £50 million in funding for new Defence Technical Excellence Colleges to help train skilled personnel for defence industries.
Britain has repeatedly raised concerns over Russian activity, including the sighting of a Russian military vessel near British waters and an increase in cyberattacks.
Separately, new MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli warned that Russia has pushed the world into an “age of uncertainty”. In her first public speech, Metreweli described Moscow as “aggressive, expansionist and revisionist”, accusing it of testing Western nations through cyberattacks, disinformation, intimidation and other actions below the threshold of open warfare.
“We are now operating in a space between peace and war,” she said, adding that global security threats are increasingly interconnected and complex.
The warnings come as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer holds talks in Berlin with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders on efforts to end Russia’s invasion. The British defence ministry has also launched a new Military Intelligence Services organisation to strengthen intelligence coordination across the armed forces amid escalating global threats.