Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has called on UK citizens to 'prepare for the worst' and be 'ready for war' in under three years. His comments over the weekend followed a wargame involving British and French troops, designed to show how NATO territory could be defended against an attack.
Wargame tests airborne brigade
British and French paratroopers jumped from RAF transport planes over Germany as part of the exercise. Exercise Rhino Titan, one of the largest airborne operations in the past 20 years, has been testing the UK's 16 Air Assault Brigade against an enemy equipped with drones and electronic warfare, similar to the kind of technology Russia could be expected to deploy.
1,000 days to 'fight and win'
Mr Streeting claimed that the UK's enemies are likely to be in a position to attack by 2030, and the country has around 1,000 days to be in a position to 'fight and win'. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, he said: "My defining priority... is to make sure that this country is ready to fight and win a war."
He added: "To prevent the worst, we have to prepare for it. In the first instance, that means expanding our capabilities so our adversaries think twice about attacking us. Should that fail, we must ensure that Britain is ready for war."
Government launches 'Be Ready' campaign
Mr Streeting's comments arrived days after the government launched its 'Be Ready' campaign, encouraging households to stockpile non-perishable food, bottled water, and other essential items in the event of a cyber-attack or severe weather incident.
