Nato needs to prepare for attack - Angus Robertson

A new generation of armed drone

On the other side of the world there are growing concerns about stability in the Pacific, tensions between India and Pakistan threaten a potential war and Gaza and its civilian population are being brutally targeted by Israel.

Meanwhile, the nature of conflict and instability are rapidly changing. Online attacks, often state backed, have brought financial institutions, businesses and public services to their knees. Key subsea communication and energy infrastructure has been sabotaged. Traditional military capabilities can be targeted and taken out with new technology like drones, at very little cost. In the Ukraine war, most of Russia’s casualties have been inflicted by drones. In the most audacious attack of the war, the Ukrainians destroyed a large part of the Russian strategic bombing fleet using swarms of drones, thousands of miles away from Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Germany’s most senior military commander General Carsten Breuer has warned that Nato needs to prepare for a possible attack from Russia within the next four years.

All of this underlines why the UK is right to think about defence priorities for the years ahead, including a significant increase in defence spending. While Prime Minister Starmer has committed to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027-28 he hasn’t fully committed to reach 3 per cent by 2034.

In contrast, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said that 5 per cent is achievable, but a Nato proposal to reach that by 2034 is “too late,” while also saying 3 per cent isn’t enough.