The UK lacks adequate defences against advanced missile threats and is exposed to attack as a result, according to comments made in the House of Commons during Defence questions.
Conservative MP Mark Pritchard warned that the UK currently has no comprehensive anti-ballistic or anti-hypersonic missile defence system in place, despite what he described as growing threats from Russia and other actors. He said this left the country vulnerable regardless of which party is in power.
“Given the threats from Russia and elsewhere and their capabilities, it does mean the UK right now, whether we vote Labour or Conservative, all of our constituents are defenceless and this country, quite frankly, is a sitting duck,” Pritchard told the House.
Responding, Defence Secretary John Healey acknowledged gaps in the UK’s homeland defence posture but pointed to ongoing work under the Strategic Defence Review. He said the review had made clear that the UK must place greater emphasis on protecting the homeland. “It pointed out that we must do more to take seriously our homeland defence. And we are,” Healey said.
Healey added that the review also identified the need for stronger air and missile defences. “It pointed out that we needed to do more in our integrated air and missile defence for the UK,” he told MPs, though he did not set out specific timelines or capabilities during the exchange.
You don’t say?
Not surprising considering the total lack of GBAD and insufficient RAF typhoon interceptors.
Oh well I’m sure the defence investment report coming before parliamentary recess on 19th December will fully resolve all the issues. We have one of the largest defence budgets in the world but can’t even intercept missiles inbound to the UK.
Seems our money is being spaffed away to me.
It goes to the MIC. That’s the point.
We’re a relatively small island nation, should be fairly easy to defend if funded properly.
Even if the politicians do get their act together it will takes years to impliment though, so stop with these bloody reviews and just get on with it. I’m sure the generals, admirals, air marshals have a nice shopping list of stuff we need.
Would be unrelastically expensive.
The UK is 600miles long and 300miles wide. Range of patriot is adound 100miles, so would need around 12 batteries to cover with no overlaps, so let’s call it 18 to ensure all have an overlap.
You would then need a large number of individual launchers at each location to avoid saturation attacks. Russia is using 100 plus missiles at a time, so a lot of launchers per site to protect each point.
Ok that is over simplictic but guessing insane levels of money required.
A lot of the country is green fields or mountains. So no need to protect that. Just key points.
Surprisingly little is as a percentage of the land mass and most of that is in the centre, so doesn’t really reduce the problem a whole lot.
I guess it depends what you mean by important bits, if just talking the top 5 major cities than could do it with a few hundred launchers, as still have to deal with saturation attacks.
Yes I mean after all so long as only people in Bath or Buxton are killed who cares, sod them for living in small cities and towns eh????
An idea of costs. Latest Spec. THAAD $2.5 billion a battery. Patriot $1.1 billion. NASAMS $220 million. A Patriot battery for London + another for Faslane (also protects Glasgow). Then NASAMS for the 3 RAF fighter bases Lossiemouth, Conningsby, Marham. Total cost $2.860 billion. Should not scare the Treasury too much. Would it protect everything? Obviously not, but it means enough survives to strike back. Full protection for the UK, probably at least $20-25 billion. A non starter in the current economic Rachel induced catastrophe.
Your point is well made. We have existing systems. Vital parts of the national infrastructure should be defended. Additionally, it might help to warn anyone who feels lucky what we could do in return. I definitely believe we should issue a general warning (‘here’s looking at you, Vlad’) that any surreptitious approach to vital underwater infrastructure will be met with force without further warning.
We are a huge island not a small island .
9th largest island in the world in fact.
The nerve of all MPs past and present. UK defences against missiles is virtually non existents because all governments over the past 30+ yrs have never voted for and authorised a defence system.
SDR98, one of the senior bods wanted a THAAD buy, but the Treasury vetoed. Ever since then, whenever there is a scare, there is much talk, but no action. I have long said, the UK should get off Zero high level SAM. Even one battery of something credible would be a good training event & prepare us better for a major purchase in the future.
I have recently been (re-)reading a book called Treasury Rules, By Adrian Ham (whom I used to work with), published in 1981. It shows that in the late-thirties Britain’s re-armament programme was bitterly opposed by the Treasury. The Treasury view then was that sound public finance was the key, and if Germany really was re-arming at the rate reported (actually, the rate reported was far too low), then the German economy would surely collapse very soon. So nothing to worry about.
Some things just don’t change. It’s very depressing.
We will defend the UK providing there is no timescale involved…
Thaad or Aegis ashore and lower tier Caam Caam ER and eventually MR with shorad filling gaps.
The Govt spunked £8b on “GB energy
So, it’s 2000km from London to Minsk – extreme range for a land attack cruise missile. I would hope we would take out closer ship or sub launched cruise missiles at source and protect strategic targets by CAMM. Israeli Iron Dome experience against even simple intermediate range ballistic missiles suggests that some would get through even a sophisticated shield if there were sufficient numbers of rockets – warheads. If Russia is firing IRBMs at us we are close to armageddon. We need a credible deterrent short of SSBN; the proposed new UK-German 2000km ballistic missile based in Germany perhaps?
Politicians are to blame. End of. All talk whilst throwing money at the MIC for nothing in return. I sort of worked out a target list, and reckon to UK would be put out of action by a few dozen well aimed missiles. Bacton, Walpole, the few refining plants and a few nuclear power plants. Then the politicians can explain to the population why they are all yap and no action.