Britain’s armed forces must have the ability to confront a “deadly quartet” of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, the surprise pick to lead a major review of the UK’s shrunken defences has warned.
Lord Robertson, a former Labour defence secretary and former NATO chief, is being brought back to frontline military policy by Sir Keir Starmer after he led Labour’s last Strategic Defence Review (SDR) more than a quarter of a century ago.
In another novel twist, the government on Tuesday announced two other external experts will work with the peer on crafting the new blueprint for the future shape and size of the armed forces.
They include Fiona Hill, a former foreign policy adviser to the Donald Trump White House who testified against the former president during his impeachment trial.
Her appointment could draw criticism from Mr Trump – who could well be elected back into power later this year – just as the new prime minister and his top team stress the importance of the transatlantic alliance.
Ms Hill, a leading expert on Russia who is British but has US citizenship, has previously likened Mr Trump to President Vladimir Putin. He has said about her: “She doesn’t know the first thing she’s talking about. If she didn’t have the accent, she would be nothing.”
Speaking about the new role, Ms Hill said: “This review could not be more timely given the current global turmoil and rapid technological change. I am honoured to participate in this important and critical exercise.”
The third outside reviewer is General Sir Richard Barrons, a highly-regarded four-star general once tipped to be the head of the armed forces, but who left the military in 2016.
Speaking at a press conference to talk about the launch of the government’s new defence review, Lord Robertson said he and his team would aim to provide “fresh thinking” as he set out what he called the “threats and challenges” the nation faces.
“We’re confronted by a deadly quartet of nations increasingly working together,” he said.
“We in this country and the NATO alliance … have got to be able to confront that particular quartet as well as the other problems that are pervading the world.”
The description of China as “deadly” is far stronger than the more nuanced language used by the previous government about Beijing.
Lord Robertson did not identify the quartet by name but the other three countries are thought to be Russia, Iran and North Korea.
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John Healey, the current defence secretary, said the external team would work with the “deep expertise” inside the Ministry of Defence on a review that he promised would be delivered “at pace” within the first half of next year. They will also draw on submissions from academia, think tanks and even journalists.
He said the UK needed a “new era for defence”. Yet he still faces the same old problems of a military that has been hollowed out by decades of cost-saving cuts and with limited finances available to deliver the transformation that will be needed.
The government has pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income from about 2.2% at present, but has failed to offer any kind of timeline.
Mr Healey, speaking candidly alongside Lord Robertson, said even such an uplift in expenditure would not be a “magic wand” that would fix all problems.
“Because if we simply use additional funding to relieve some of the pressures in present programmes and plans, we will fail to get to grips with the very serious situation we face and the changes we must make to be better fit to fight in the future, better able to defend Britain, and better able to deter the threats that we may face in the future as well.”
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Mr Healey also revealed a desire for the wider defence sector to play a much larger role in the government’s plans to boost economic growth.
“In many ways, defence is the untold story of economic growth and the economic engine in Britain,” he said, noting that the average wage is 40% higher than other manufacturing sectors, while 70% of defence industry jobs are outside London and the South East.
“So, for a government that wants to drive growth, improve productivity and spread wealth creation, defence is one of the cornerstones of a new industrial strategy.”
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