Farage must rebuild Britain’s defences before it’s too late, warns former Army officer

           

 

 

Reform UK’s appointment of RAF Wing Commander Angus MacIntyre, a military veteran with 40 years’ service, as its armed forces spokesman raises an important question. If Nigel Farage becomes Britain’s next Prime Minister, what exactly will his government do about the increasingly parlous state of our armed forces?

MacIntyre’s appointment gives Reform an opportunity to develop a serious defence policy. With a general election due by 2029, the party needs more than patriotic rhetoric. It needs a credible plan to rebuild Britain’s military capability before the next international crisis arrives.

The starting point should be a fundamental rethink of the 2025 Strategic Defence Review. Its emphasis on “NATO First” was understandable, but the world has changed. Donald Trump’s approach to European security has demonstrated the dangers of assuming that American military support can always be taken for granted.

I would replace that doctrine with “Homeland Security First”. Protecting the United Kingdom and its citizens must be our overriding priority, followed by defending British interests overseas and fulfilling our NATO commitments.

As an island nation, our security depends heavily on the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Yet our fleet is dangerously small, our combat aircraft numbers limited, and our ground-based air defences woefully inadequate.

Russia continues to threaten North Atlantic security, while hostile submarines, missiles, drones and cyberattacks pose increasingly sophisticated dangers. Our undersea communications cables and energy infrastructure are particularly vulnerable.

We have almost no comprehensive national defence against ballistic missiles. That should alarm anyone who believes Britain’s geographical position still provides adequate protection.

The Army, meanwhile, has become too small to fulfil many of its commitments. With just 148 Challenger 3 tanks planned and serious shortages of artillery, personnel and deployable formations, we must question whether it can realistically deliver everything politicians promise.

Reform should therefore prioritise rebuilding maritime and air defences while giving the Army a more realistic, specialised role.

But none of this can happen without money.

Lt Col Stuart Crawford is a former British Army officer and defence commentator and the Editor of http://www.defencereview.UK.

 

 

 

Lt Col Stuart Crawford’s latest book Tank Commander (Hardback) is available now

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