UK defence shortfalls and Europe's reliance on US pose terrifying risk, expert warns
Defence and security expert Justin Crump has warned that the UK's military capabilities are falling short in key areas, including air defence.
Speaking as the Government announced plans to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, Mr Crump highlighted that underinvestment had left Nato forces, including the UK, vulnerable.
"Across Nato, there are serious deficiencies in air refuelling, airborne warning control systems, missile defence and surface-to-air weapon systems," he said.
Questions over spending priorities
The UK military faces shortfalls across all branches, with slow procurement cycles delaying the delivery of key assets such as F-35 jets, warships and missile defence systems.
Mr Crump emphasised that while the UK has prioritised air and sea power, maintaining a strong land force remains essential for European security.
"On the ground, really, whether we like it or not, a division is really the price of entry into European warfare," he said.
"So I think we need a capable division to be able to offer, even if we say the British Army's role is actually as an interconnector for others, we're going to offer air power and sea power and space power, potentially cyber capabilities, command control.
"At the end of the day, our allies will still expect us to stand in the line alongside them - and a division is really the minimal commitment we can make to that."
Growing underwater threats
Maritime and subsea security are becoming increasingly critical as threats to infrastructure grow, particularly from Russian submarine activity.
Mr Crump warned that the UK's current capability to protect key assets, such as undersea cables and energy supplies, is limited.
"And of course we're seeing a lot of threats underwater. You know that's an area that the Russians in particular have invested a lot in and continue to invest a lot in," he said.
"We talk about infrastructure in the North Sea, our data cables, our energy supplies.
"These are all things that would be threatened. And we have a small capability to protect them at the moment that needs to grow."
The UK's underwater defences, once robust during the Cold War, have since been scaled back, leaving critical assets such as North Sea data cables and offshore energy platforms more vulnerable to interference.
The growing risk of hostile activity in key maritime zones, including the North Sea and the Greenland-Iceland-UK (GIUK) Gap, has prompted renewed interest in strengthening undersea surveillance and protection measures.
The UK is now looking to integrate new technologies, including uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) and artificial intelligence-driven monitoring systems, to improve situational awareness and deter potential threats.
Europe can't rely on the US
Mr Crump also raised concerns over Europe's reliance on the US, questioning whether Washington would always be available to provide military support in a crisis.
"That the Americans will always turn up to a fight in Europe - we've been able to rely on that since 1940s. I think it's not clear now," he pointed out.
"And so we must have a Plan B even if we never have to use it ourselves, and our European partners need to make up for the things that the US does for us at the moment that no one else could do."
Terrifying lack of readiness
Despite the UK being in a better position than some of its European allies, its overall defence capabilities remain underdeveloped in key areas, raising concerns about military readiness.
Mr Crump warned that Nato-wide shortfalls in air refuelling, airborne warning control and missile defence leave ground forces vulnerable.
His concern is that while the UK may be in a better position than some of its European counterparts, that is not reassuring given how underprepared other nations are.
"Some of these things are well-known basics, but we have underinvested in those in the UK alone, let alone across Europe.
"We are in a better condition than others, but that's quite terrifying when you think about it," he concluded.
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