UK must 'actively prepare' for potential of war in the 'homeland', new government review warns

The UK has to "actively prepare" for the imaginable of a "wartime scenario" connected the "UK homeland" a authorities reappraisal has warned.

Published today, the National Security Strategy said it was "the archetypal clip successful galore years" that specified an lawsuit has had to beryllium considered.

It comes arsenic Sky News precocious explored what a Russian onslaught connected Britain looked similar successful its The Wargame podcast.

The reappraisal highlighted Russia and Iran arsenic imaginable threats, including saying that the latter's "hostile activity" connected British ungraded is expanding successful an effort to "silence critics" arsenic good arsenic "directly threatening the UK".

It added: "Meanwhile, immoderate adversaries are laying the foundations for aboriginal conflict, positioning themselves to determination rapidly to origin large disruption to our vigor and oregon proviso chains, to deter america from lasting up to their aggression."

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told Sky News that the UK is facing "daily challenges connected the location front".

He said that includes cyberattacks, oregon the hazard to vigor information from the warfare connected Ukraine.

The authorities volition tally yearly exercises to trial the preparedness of the full of nine arsenic portion of efforts to rebuild resilience, the caller strategy says.

There volition besides beryllium moves to amended information astir captious nationalist infrastructure specified arsenic powerfulness stations and h2o supplies arsenic portion of what is being called "Home Defence".

An equipped onslaught connected the UK is precisely the script that a caller podcast bid by Sky News and Tortoise explore.

The Wargame simulates Russian missiles strikes against targets crossed the state to trial UK defences.

The podcast besides draws connected the UK's Cold War past.

👉Search for The Wargame connected your podcast app👈

During the clip of the Soviet Union, Britain, similar overmuch of the remainder of NATO, maintained a overmuch larger nonrecreational army, navy and aerial force, with greater stockpiles of munitions, a bigger reserve unit and a acold much broad aerial defence system. This was each kept astatine a authorities of readiness that meant the UK could instantly respond to warfare breaking out.

At the aforesaid time, wider nine was amended prepared for struggle - including atomic war.

They besides understood the request to allocate much payer currency into backing defence arsenic the eventual security policy.

When the Cold War ended though, successive governments took what was seen arsenic a bid dividend, switching concern distant from defence and into different priorities specified arsenic health, payment and economical growth.

With Britain present facing renewed threats to the location beforehand but without the resilience it relied connected successful the past, The Wargame plays retired what mightiness hap successful a crisis.

This breaking quality communicative is being updated and much details volition beryllium published shortly.

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