UK facing 'new era of threat' from Russia, Defence Secretary says as he unveils ‘biggest military shake up in 50 years’

18 February 2025, 12:42

The UK is facing “a new era of threat” from Russia, Defence Secretary John Healey has warned as he promised the "biggest shake-up" to Britain's military in 50 years to ensure the country is prepared for war.

Speaking at the Institute for Government (IfG) on Tuesday, the cabinet minister said Britain needs to 're-arm' if it is to handle pressures from hostile states.

He also unveiled a new command structure in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and pledged to tear apart Conservative-era policies, replacing them with sweeping reforms to provide a 'more muscular defence for a more dangerous world'.

Mr Healy said these represent ‘the biggest shake up of UK defence for over 50 years’.

The defence secretary argued the UK is ‘buying better what our front line forces need’, vowing to cut waste and reduce duplication in the MoD.

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Mr Healey also announced plans for four senior leadership roles in the department for “clear points of accountability at every level within UK defence”.

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer said he was ready to put British forces on the ground to help protect Ukraine, which he has described as the “frontline” of Britain.

The Prime minister has also warned Ukraine is "an existential question for Europe as a whole, and therefore vital for Britain's national interests."

He continued: "This is a once in a generation moment for the collective security of our continent."

His comments came as Britain, along with Kyiv and Europe, were blocked out of Russia-US peace talks held in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Insead, European descended leaders descended on the Elysee Palace in Paris late on Monday for an emergency summit.

Starmer’s plans were criticised by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, left the crisis summit early after commenting that he was a "little irritated" at the Prime Minister's "highly inappropriate" comments.

Starmer had said troops on the ground were needed to protect Ukraine - with a unified force patrolling the Ukraine-Russia border. 

Poland, Spain, and Italy joined Germany in raising doubts over the idea.

Following the meeting, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stressed that a US security guarantee is the only path to peace, saying a "US backstop" is the "only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again"

He is still expected to press his argument for US security guarantees when he flies to Washington for talks with President Donald Trump next week.

Speaking to LBC in December, Healey said his job is to rebuild the strength of... British defences".

He told Andrew Marr his department has a "determination to play a leading role in NATO and recognise that Britain has a role in coordinating allies, including in support of Ukraine, which is the job in hand... for me today."

Last year, a former head of the army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, warned that civilians might need to be called up in the event of a war, with the number of troops at its lowest level in centuries.

And the current army chief General Sir Roly Walker, said that the UK must be ready to fight a war in three years and that the size of the fighting force needed to triple.

Mr Healey said: "The UK, in keeping with many other nations, has essentially become very skilled and ready to conduct military operations.

"What we've not been ready to do is to fight. And unless we are ready to fight, we are not in a shape to deter." He added that this was "at the heart" of thinking within Nato.