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Britain's new military commander will warn Monday that the nation faces its most dangerous security environment in decades, calling for a comprehensive national response beyond traditional military measures to counter Russia's stated goal of destroying NATO.
Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton, who assumed leadership of Britain's armed forces in September, plans to outline an expanded vision of national defence that relies not only on military strength but on broader societal preparedness, according to advance excerpts from the Ministry of Defence released Sunday.
The speech comes as Western nations grapple with heightened security concerns following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and what officials describe as increased threats to critical infrastructure across Europe.
In remarks prepared for delivery at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based defence think tank, Knighton will characterize current global threats as exceeding those he has witnessed throughout his military career. The response, he argues, demands mobilization that extends beyond government and armed forces to encompass the entire British population.
"A new era for defence doesn't just mean our military and government stepping up -- as we are -- it means our whole nation stepping up," Knighton will say, according to the ministry statement.
The defence chief will specifically address Moscow's military actions in Ukraine and its broader posture toward the Western alliance, warning that Russia's leadership "wishes to challenge, limit, divide and ultimately destroy NATO." He will highlight concerns about the Kremlin's willingness to employ what he describes as "novel and destructive weapons" against neighboring countries and civilian populations.
As part of the response strategy, Knighton will announce 50 million pounds in government funding to establish Defence Technical Excellence Colleges designed to help defence contractors and suppliers develop skilled workforces. The initiative reflects growing recognition that military preparedness depends heavily on industrial capacity and technical expertise beyond uniformed personnel.
The colleges program addresses longstanding concerns about maintaining Britain's defence industrial base amid global competition for specialized technical talent, particularly in emerging fields such as autonomous systems, cyber warfare capabilities, and advanced manufacturing.
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Knighton's warnings follow Britain's announcement earlier this month of a joint naval initiative with Norway aimed at protecting undersea infrastructure in the North Atlantic. The agreement establishes collaborative operations to monitor Russian submarine activity and safeguard critical cables and pipelines that Western officials say face increasing threats from Moscow.
Such infrastructure has become a focal point of security planning after incidents including damage to the Nord Stream pipelines and severed communications cables in European waters. Intelligence assessments have pointed to growing Russian capabilities and interest in targeting these vulnerable networks that underpin modern communications and commerce.
Knighton led the Royal Air Force before his appointment as chief of the defence staff, Britain's highest-ranking military position. His elevation came during a period of substantial re-evaluation of British defence policy in light of the war in Ukraine and shifting great power dynamics.
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