{"id":30212,"date":"2025-06-02T21:54:28","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T21:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/defence-plan-will-ensure-uk-is-ready-for-war-minister-says\/"},"modified":"2025-06-02T21:54:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T21:54:28","slug":"defence-plan-will-ensure-uk-is-ready-for-war-minister-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/defence-plan-will-ensure-uk-is-ready-for-war-minister-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Defence plan will ensure UK is ready for war, minister says"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"MinistryMinistry of Defence<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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The government will invest billions of pounds to move the UK to “war-fighting readiness” in the face of a new era of threats from nuclear powers like Russia and China, the defence secretary has said.<\/p>\n

The government has accepted all 62 recommendations set out in a long-awaited Strategic Defence Review (SDR)<\/a>, including building 12 new nuclear-powered submarines, six new munitions factories and embracing technologies like artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n

Britain’s army needs to become “10 times more lethal” to face a “new era of threats”, John Healey told MPs on Monday.<\/p>\n

Conservative shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge called the plans a “damp squib”, which was “underfunded and totally underwhelming”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The SDR, carried out by former Labour Defence Sectary Lord Robertson, found the UK’s armed forces are “not currently equipped” to fight opponents like Russia or China, with inadequate stockpiles of weapons, poor recruitment and crumbling morale.<\/p>\n

The report warned the UK is already experiencing daily attacks on its critical national infrastructure, testing the economy’s vulnerabilities and “and challenging its social cohesion”.<\/p>\n

Russia is “an immediate and pressing threat”, as the invasion of Ukraine “makes unequivocally clear its willingness to use force to achieve its goals”, the report finds.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, China is a “sophisticated and persistent challenge”, the review warns, and is “likely to continue seeking advantage through espionage and cyber attacks” and is expected to have 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030.<\/p>\n

Iran and North Korea are also highlighted and described as regional disruptors.<\/p>\n

To fight this, the Ministry of Defence must embrace new technologies such as artificial intelligence, robots and lasers, the review recommends. <\/p>\n

In a Commons statement, Healey said: “The threats we face are now more serious and less predictable than at any time since the end of the Cold War. <\/p>\n

“We face war in Europe, growing Russian aggression, new nuclear risks, and daily cyber-attacks at home.<\/p>\n

“Our adversaries are working more in alliance with one another, while technology is changing the way war is fought. We are in a new era of threat, which demands a new era for UK defence.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Other announcements in the review include:<\/p>\n