General Sir Richard Barrons, one of the authors of the Strategic Defence Review, is “really into the idea of ‘hedgehog Britain’” where the UK’s missile defence systems would be strengthened, according to military insiders.
The SDR was commissioned by Sir Keir Starmer last year within weeks of becoming prime minister and is a top priority for the government amid the ongoing threat from Russia, Iran and a potential blockade of Taiwan by China.
While the Sea Viper and Sea Ceptor can intercept ballistic missiles, there are only six Type 45 destroyers in operation, not all of which are in UK waters, and its radar is short-range, leaving the UK vulnerable to an intermediate to long-range missile attack.
Crew members perform routine maintenance on the pods containing Sea Viper surface-to-air missles on board HMS Duncan at the Port of Limassol on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus on October 2, 2024 (Photo by YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)As a member of Nato, the UK has some protection from the alliance’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence system, but the SDR is expected to recommend a strengthened sovereign system for the UK.
One option the reviewers are expected to weigh up is the UK fully enrolling in the European Sky Shield Initiative, or ESSI, which is a German-led cross-European scheme to jointly procure missile defence equipment and is designed to complement Nato’s capabilities.
A Sky Sabre system – a medium-range, ground-based mobile air defence system which can engage fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, drones, and laser guided smart bombs
Britain does not have the sort of missile defence system in place in Israel, which can intercept medium to long-range missiles under its David’s Sling and Arrow systems.
While the US has advanced defences which can intercept long-range missiles, Russia’s development of a hypersonic missile, called Oreshnik, last year has compelled western governments to beef up their protection.
How the UK is currently protected from a missile attack
Each branch of the UK armed forces has a system to repel incoming missiles from terrorist groups or hostile states that protect the air, land and sea.
But there are concerns these are not integrated into one overarching protection, and that it stops short of preventing attack by an intermediate orlong-range ballistic missile, such as the hypersonic Oreshnik weapon Russia used against Ukraine last year.
The RAF has a quick reaction alert force to protect UK airspace, involving Typhoon fighter jets stationed at RAF Lossiemouth, Moray in north east Scotland, and Coningsby near Lincoln in the East Midlands.
These can be scrambled at instant notice to intercept and escort hostile aircraft out of UK airspace, as well as shoot down drones. But they do not have the capacity to repel ballistic missiles.
The army has Sky Sabre, a medium-range, ground-based mobile air defence system which can engage fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, drones, and laser guided smart bombs.
Sky Sabre has also recently been deployed to Poland to help protect Nato’s eastern flank.
However Sky Sabre cannot prevent a ballistic or hypersonic missile attack.
The only capability the UK armed forces have to stop ballistic missiles are the Sea Viper and Sea Ceptor air defence missiles, which can be fired off Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers.
There are only six of these battleships and not all of those are in UK waters. Its radar is short range and Viper and Ceptor cannot shoot down a hypersonic missile.
As a last resort, the UK has Trident, its continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent, but this is unlikely to be deployed against a conventional weapons attack.
“The problem is that, whether we are talking air defence missiles or any other munition type, there is a big queue of international demand and we should have been placing our orders months ago.
The review will also look at the structure of the armed forces, including training and recruitment.
Rows over funding
Barrons and Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, a former Nato secretary general who is chairing the review panel, are expected to complete their report this spring, with some insiders suggesting it will be handed over to Defence Secretary John Healey in March.
The terms of reference of the review make clear that its recommendations should be made within the spending envelope of 2.5 per cent of GDP, which is the government’s promised target for defence funding.
And despite reports that the SDR could be pushed back to the autumn as a result, the government said it would still be published this spring.
But Robertson has already sent a warning to ministers that the SDR needed to be backed up by funding.
“We cannot guarantee anything… We are operating on the basis of the terms of reference that we were given.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “The Strategic Defence Review is wide-ranging and working at pace, looking hard at the threats we face and all the capabilities we need to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
The SDR is expected to also look at updating Britain’s military capabilities to keep pace with developments in artificial intelligence.
In a recent joint paper for RUSI, the defence think tank, experts Will Jessett, Tom McKane and Peter Watkins said the SDR would need to consider the “scale and immediacy” of threats to UK national and European security, as well as what they said were the longer-term challenges from countries like China.
They added: “The growing risk of hybrid attacks, challenges in the new domains of space and cyberspace, and the potential recurrence of international terrorism will also have to be on the menu.”
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