UK 'ready for war' with lasers, robots and AI multi-billion pound army overhaul

Britain has unveiled a “warfighting readiness” multi-billion pound overhaul of its aimed at building a “more lethal” military to prepare for war with greater use of artificial intelligence, robots and lasers. 

A small boost in troop numbers of 3,000 extra soldiers in a bid to stop the Tory-led hollowing out of the UK’s defences. And Defence Secretary John Healey announced the new-look military will include an Army “ten times more lethal than before” by combining “drones, , autonomy and tanks.” A near year-long government imposed study of the UK military singles out as the prime enemy with other hostile states , Iran and North Korea increasingly becoming a threat.

The Strategic Defence Review is, according to a senior defence source, “the most profound change in our Armed Forces” in about 150 years. The source said it is the biggest shift in the UK military since the Franco Prussian war because of the rapid development in technology and artificial intelligence.

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And the insider added: “This is the equivalent of the arrival of the submarine, aircraft, the telegraph, nuclear weapons - all arriving at once in the same taxi.” The Strategic Defence Review, published on Monday, recommends more troops, attack submarines, a badly-needed UK 1.5bn air defence system and a boost in cyber weaponry as well as the recommendation to embrace new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robots and lasers. 

Introducing the SDR Mr Healey pledged to this was the first defence reviews in a generation to expand the military with more troops and better armoured vehicles. He vowed it will make Britain safer.

But the 140 page dossier lays into the state of our “hollowed out” military which has been vastly under staffed, as the understands the army has fewer than 73,000 soldiers. The SDR took almost a year by former NATO chief Lord George Robertson, former US government adviser to Dr Fiona Hill and General Sir Richard Barrons.

• Britain’s two £3.5bn aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales will be transformed into “hybrid air wings” launching war-jets, long-range weapons and drones.

• These will lead the UK’s new “hybrid navy” which will eventually have nuclear-armed Dreadnought and non-nuclear armed Aukus submarines but there will also be the introduction of ‘autonomous vessels” or Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships which operate without humans.

• It also announces the building of Britain’s 12 new SSN Aukus attack submarines to be ready in the 2030’s, replacing the current Astute-class attack subs. The Aukus will be produced at the rate of one every 18 months.

• There will be a £6bn boost to missile production in six weapons factories throughout the UK, creating thousands of new jobs. This will produce 7,000 long-range weapons.

• The SDR says the MoD has presided over a crisis-hit military which is struggling to retain troops because of poor conditions and plummeting ‘morale.’

• It says: “Poor recruitment and retention, shoddy accommodation, falling morale and cultural challenges have created a workforce crisis.The numbers of UK regulars and reservists have been in persistent decline.The shortfall impacts disproportionately on the skills most critical to UK advantage as it does for allies and partners.”

• Included within the SDR the RAF will be promised more F35 fighter jets, upgraded Typhoon warplanes and Britain’s main warplane hub RAF Brize Norton is now “a high priority for investment and improvement.”

• It also calls for a new £1bn investment into a homeland air and missile defence system, although this defence will be in the form of Type 45 destroyers and fighter jets.

• And troops housing and accommodation will receive a £7bn funding boost, including £1.5bn of “rapid work” to “fix the poor state of forces family housing.”

• There has also been a recommendation to embrace new technologies such as artificial intelligence, robots and lasers. The paper warned the UK must develop ways to defend against emerging threats, including biological weapons, warning of "pathogens and other weapons of mass destruction". 

But it also calls for ’s government to take on a bigger army whose numbers have dwindled to around 73,000 in recent years through poor retention and recruitment.. The SDR declares: “Overall, we envisage an increase in the total number of regular personnel when funding allows. This includes a small uplift in Army Regulars as a priority.” 

Introducing the SDR Defence Secretary John Healey said: “We will end the hollowing out of our Armed Forces and lead in a stronger, more lethal NATO. We will protect the homeland with up to £1bn new funding invested in homeland air and missile defence and creating a new CyberEm Command to defence Britain from daily attacks in the grey zone.”

And it said that “the number of Active Reserves” will be boosted by 20% and that more desk-working troops in “back office functions” will be released to “front line roles.” The government also hopes to massively improve recruitment by boosting the numbers of young people joining “Cadet Forces.”

The document recommends “reconnecting defence with society.” And it adds: “This can be achieved in part through expanding Cadet Forces by 30% by 2030- with an ambition to reach 250,000 in the longer term and working with the department of education to develop understanding of the Armed Forces among young people in schools.”

On recruitment a senior source told the Mirror: “Look, we had 160,000 people try to join the Army last year and we took on 9,000. We are not short of people wanting to join up.” The British Armed Forces became massively hollowed out after years of Tory-led cuts.

Under Labour salaries for troops have been boosted by more than 30%. The source added: “Under this new government no member of the Armed Forces will not earn less than the national living wage. That was not the case before the .”

UK's new defence plan analysis by Chris Hughes

This has been called the biggest change to UK defence in around 150 years - and on the face of it that could well be the case. That is if any of the much-vaunted changes actually come about and within the time it is being suggested they need to happen. Take the army numbers for instance. Many hoped these would be boosted from less than 73,000 as they currently stand.

This is by no means intentional even though numbers were brutally cut over years of Tory rule. It is a result of poor recruitment and retention. There is only the possibility of a “small uplift.”

It says: “Overall we envisage an increase in the total of Regular personnel when finding allows. This includes a small uplift in Army Regulars as a priority.” But there is mention of “increasing the number of Active Reserves by 20% - when funding allows - most likely in the 2030s…”

There is no promise to increase troop numbers and it merely means they might be increased if we can afford it if and when the need arises. The SDR - the most important one in decades - comes at a time of soaring hostility with Russia, whilst China, Iran and North Korea are also threats of varying degrees.

And it promises a great deal whilst the big question is whether it will deliver too. One of the biggest problems for the UK in time of war would be air defences, how to shoot down incoming missiles.

Currently, if it were large and fast incoming missiles this might be undertaken by one the UK’s Type 45 destroyers, as a sea to air defence or F35B or Typhoon fighter jets as in air-to-air. Or the Army may use Sky Sabre, a lorry mounted air defence system which replaced Rapier. That system fires anti-air missiles.

In his introduction Mr Healey clearly says: “We will protect the UK homeland with up to £1bn new funding invested in homeland air and missile defence and creating a new CyberEM Command to defend Britain from daily attacks in the grey zone.”

But it turns out this is not a shiny new air defence system such as had, like the Iron Dome or David’s Sling. It is merely a continuation of the Type 45 - fighter jet defences, just with better communication and integration. Like many reviews, the lack of granularity could make you suspect there’s not much in it.

The emphasis on AI, the risk of space wars, combating the threat from cyber assaults is all there and alarming and reassuring at the same time. It is reassuring the weapons production is being stepped up with six new missiles factories being created, boosting jobs and UK defences.

But we don’t know what they are, if they are new or what will fire them. The very fact this review happened is good and shows the government is getting things done on defence. But there will be huge trade-offs, perhaps with manning moving aside for new high-tech weaponry. Cost is going to be a huge issue and it remains to be seen if all of this can be afforded.