UK ‘quickly creating’ plans to organize for battle – and civilians will play their half
NATO chief Mark Rutte has claimed the UK and other allied nations are next in Russia’s sights
The UK is “rapidly developing” plans to prepare for the possible outbreak of war, the armed forces minister has said.
Al Carns said: “The shadow of war is knocking on Europe’s door once more. That’s the reality. We’ve got to be prepared to deter it.”
Underlining the role that civilians will have to play as the armed forces respond to conflict, he said, “societies, industries and economies win wars”
Speaking during a visit to RAF Wyton, the minister told Sky News: “There’s a whole load of work going on now between us [Ministry of Defence], the Cabinet Office, and the whole of society approach, and what conflict means, and what everybody’s role in society means if we were to go to war and the build up to war.
“Collectively, everybody – what is their role if we get caught in an existential crisis, and what do they need to be aware they need to do and what they can’t do, and how do we mobilise the nation to support a military endeavour?
“Not just about deploying the military, but actually about protecting every inch of our own territory. That work is ongoing now, it’s rapidly developing. We’ve got to move as fast as we can to make sure that’s shored up.”
It comes after Nato chief Mark Rutte has warned the West to prepare for war “like our grandparents endured”.
In a chilling warning to the rest of Europe, the former Dutch Prime Minister called for a big increase in defence spending, and claimed the UK and other allied nations were next in Russia ’s sights.
Mr Rutte said too many allies of the military alliance did not feel the urgency of Russia’s threat in Europe, and it was a race against time to prevent a war on a scale not seen for generations.
He said: “We are Russia’s next target. I fear that too many are quietly complacent. Too many don’t feel the urgency. And too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. The time for action is now. Conflict is at our door. Russia has brought war back to Europe. And we must be prepared. Russia has brought war back to Europe. We must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured”.
In a terrifying prediction, Mr Rutte also suggested that Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years.
