UK in most dangerous period I've known, military chief says

The risks and threats to the UK are greater present than astatine immoderate clip since the Cold War, the caput of the subject has said.

"This is the astir unsafe play that I person known," Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Richard Knighton told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

There person been arsenic galore incursions by Russian strategical craft into UK airspace successful the archetypal 5 months of this twelvemonth arsenic successful the full of 2025, helium said, informing Russia risks "crossing a line".

He said past year's Strategic Defence Review was a "call to arms", and portion successful caller decades the equipped forces person focused connected preparing for short, contained conflicts, the UK needs to beryllium acceptable for longer wars similar the 1 successful Ukraine.

His remarks travel up of the expected work of the Defence Investment Plan successful the adjacent fewer weeks, pursuing repeated delays.

The document, which volition acceptable retired however caller instrumentality and defence infrastructure volition beryllium funded implicit the coming decade, was archetypal owed to beryllium released successful autumn 2025.

Defence Secretary John Healey said earlier this week that the premier curate is "determined to publish" it earlier a Nato acme connected 7 July.

Asked astir caller disapproval of the UK's diminished capabilities by the erstwhile defence secretary, Lord Robertson, and whether the authorities is consenting to springiness the subject the other backing it has said it needs, Sir Richard said helium was assured ministers are alert of the threats and are expanding spending.

"Exactly arsenic the premier curate says, we request to walk much connected defence and bash it faster. The situation for ministers is to marque those hard trade-off decisions," helium said.

Sir Richard besides spoke astir the changing quality of warfare and the request to adapt.

Drones and autonomous systems are going to go "increasingly important successful the aboriginal of warfare", helium said.

On the threats posed to the UK, helium said: "I'm precise wide that this is the astir unsafe clip I person known successful my moving life.

"And the risks and threats to this state are greater than I person known since the Cold War.

"And it is important that nine and each of america recognise and recognize that and that whitethorn mean that we request to marque antithetic choices and antithetic priorities."

Russia is probing some the UK's "traditional subject defences" and besides done different means, specified arsenic cyber, sabotage and assassination attempts, helium said.

"So Russia is decidedly raising the stakes and risks crossing a line," helium said.