Britain needs to put itself on a war footing amid the increasing threat from Russia and other hostile states, the strategic defence review (SDR) is expected to say.
The review, likely to be published later this month, will call for a change in the “whole society mindset” towards defence and homeland security, with a need for greater civilian awareness of global insecurity, The i Paper understands.
It is understood that the review’s authors have looked at the defence model in Finland and other northern European countries, which are on the frontline against Russia, where small full-time armies are backed up by a civilian force ready to deploy at short notice if needed.
While the SDR is not going to propose a cut to the British armed forces, or suggest military service for civilians, it is likely to say that the “mindset” of civilian society and the industrial sector should be more geared towards national security.
This is expected to include more public awareness of defence threats and a greater focus on critical national infrastructure.
The long-awaited SDR is expected to be published later this month – potentially coinciding with Keir Starmer’s hosting of a crucial UK-EU summit on 19 May, when European leaders will agree a defence pact to strengthen security following the retreat of US support under Donald Trump.
Insiders say an initial draft of the document was handed over to ministers earlier this year, but the government insists its publication has not been delayed because it was always going to be in the “spring”.
However, The i Paper has been told of tensions between Whitehall departments and among defence chiefs over its content and presentation.
Despite reports at the weekend that the review had been watered down and the government will not come forward with concrete details until the autumn, it is understood that it will contain concrete policy proposals that meet the terms of reference to ready the UK’s armed forces for modern-day challenges.
One defence source claimed there was unhappiness among some defence chiefs about a lack of focus on modern warfare, including drones – which are a key feature of the war in Ukraine. Drones are a leading cause of casualties on the frontline in that conflict.
The source claimed that while the SDR will present the state of the defence and security challenges facing Britain, it will not go into sufficient detail about the buying of more attack drones to defend the UK.
However, MoD sources insisted that there were no divisions in government over the presentation and content of the review, and that the authors – former Nato secretary general Lord Robertson and former military commander Gen Sir Richard Barrons – had examined the war in Ukraine and the growth in drone warfare, as part of their terms of reference.
Tobias Ellwood, a former Conservative defence minister who has followed the SDR closely, said he expected the review to call for a change in society mindset, and ask what the UK’s capabilities were across the forces.
He added: “This defence review is more about turning Britain into a competent defence force, which means all of society.
“This is not about going into a sweet shop and picking things off the shelf, this is more about how those shelves are stocked in the first place.
“Drones bought now will be out of date by the time they are needed. This is about how do you speed up the procurement process from years to weeks.
“This really is about a mindset change involving all aspects of the defence realm and how we do things differently.”
Ellwood added that it was important for the SDR to highlight the threat of Russia to all of society.
He said: “This is exactly what the nation needs to hear, and what members of parliament need to hear. We are being attacked every single day by Russia whether it is cyber attacks, coercion, damaging undersea cables.
“The objective is to create a change in how we do defence – a whole society approach to improve defence.”
But there are still fears that the SDR will not go far enough to examine what is needed to equip Britain for modern warfare.
Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said: “The SDR should be the moment when ministers take bold decisions to drive a stronger armed forces, not least through rapid rearmament to replace capabilities gifted to Ukraine.
“The problem is that procurement has effectively been on hold since the election, pending the SDR. So the last thing we need is an SDR that talks in general terms and pushes actual procurement decisions even further into the future.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “We will not be drawn into commenting on speculative claims regarding the strategic defence review. We have maintained that it will be published in the spring, and this has not changed.
“The strategic defence review is wide-ranging, with specific proposals that are informed by the latest conflicts including the war in Ukraine, the threats we face and the capabilities we need to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.”
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