Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, the Chief of the Defence Staff, has warned that the British Army must be prepared to go "toe-to-toe" with Russia, as he outlined his focus on building a military that "adversaries are scared of." Speaking at the RUSI Land Warfare Conference in London on Wednesday, he stressed the need for a force strong enough to deter enemies from initiating a costly war.
Knighton: Army Must Be Ready for High-End Conflict
Sir Richard said: "The British Army can be very proud and confident in what it is doing. But an Army that is able to go toe-to-toe with Russia – like Ukraine's – is necessary, but it's not sufficient." His comments come amid warnings from outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer that intelligence suggests Russia could launch an attack on NATO "as soon as 2030."
The Chief of the Defence Staff emphasized the need for an Army that can meet NATO's demands, blending "high-end capabilities" with low-end "consumable and attritable systems" such as drones. He described the Army's "engine" as needing to be "lubricated with enough money that drives the constant adaptation and transformation that we need in order to retain that operational edge."
Deterrence and the Cost of War
"Our job as Armed Forces is to avoid war because, in every way we might look at it, war is costly," Sir Richard said, arguing that it is cheaper to build military capability now than to risk conflict. He added: "Our focus must be on building the Armed Forces that stop [war] starting. That means Armed Forces that our adversaries are scared of. In classic deterrence theory – that means Armed Forces that can demonstrably deny our adversaries the opportunity to achieve their aim. Armed Forces that can impose sufficient costs on the enemy to change its behaviour. Armed Forces that can deter, fight and win."
Defence Investment Plan Delays
His warning came amid continued uncertainty over the much-delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP). The Prime Minister has pledged the document, which will "completely overhaul" how funding is spent, will be published before he attends the NATO leaders summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7. Former Defence Secretary John Healey and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns resigned earlier this month over the plan, warning it fell short of what was needed.
Healey said the DIP was only due to provide £13.5 billion extra investment in defence, far short of the £28 billion over four years which officials had argued for. He suggested the UK was on course to spend only 2.68% of GDP on core defence by 2030, putting doubt on the country's ability to meet its NATO target of 3.5% by 2035. His successor Dan Jarvis has said his priority is to get the DIP done "but not at any cost." The prime minister in waiting, Andy Burnham, is reportedly planning to boost defence spending.
