People think they're safe – but they're not, warns the lead author of the SDR
People believe they are safe, but they are not safe, a former defence secretary has warned MPs.
Lord Robertson spoke at a one-off session of the Defence Committee with his fellow reviewers and authors who led the Strategic Defence Review (SDR).
He headed up the SDR team, along with Dr Fiona Hill, senior director for European and Russian affairs on the US National Security Council between 2017 and 2019, and General Sir Richard Barrons, a former Commander Joint Forces Command.
"We are not safe. That is the reality of today. People think they are safe, and they are not safe," Lord Robertson said.
"People thought they were safe in eastern Ukraine, and suddenly they weren't."
His comments come after the SDR revealed that the UK Armed Forces must modernise across all three services through the increased use of autonomous uncrewed aircraft in the Royal Navy, the acceleration in the introduction of the British Army's new recce-strike warfighting approach, and the Royal Air Force must invest in drones to work alongside future fighter jets.
Lord Robertson said that defence is a responsibility for the wider UK population.
"I think people need to be reminded of the fact that the defence of the country is not just the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence or the people who happen to be in uniform at any particular time, it’s a responsibility for all of us," he added.
"And if we are not safe, we need to pay the premium in order to be insured."
Defence Committee chair Tan Dhesi asked whether the trio were "disappointed" as the SDR now appears to look "out-of-date" on defence spending as it was aiming for 2.5% of GDP rising to 3% by 2034.
Meanwhile, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte has urged member countries to hit 5% in line with Washington's demands.
"I don't think disappointment is in any way the right word for me to use here," Gen Sir Richard Barrons said.
"So, the transformative path that we have sketched out in the SDR is common to all outcomes.
"It is restrained by the financial profile – the question we were set of 2.5% of GDP by 2027/28 and 3% of GDP by no later than 2034."
He added that "it is possible, even likely" that events, our enemies' actions, and our allies' choices may lead to the SDR being implemented quicker.
Gen Sir Richard also warned that if the SDR is applied faster, it will lead to "very difficult choices" financially in the public sector.
The three lead reviewers were also questioned on several other topics, including how they would define lethality and how drone technology contributes to it.
The lethality comment was in reference to the SDR saying the Army is going to be 10x more lethal.
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