UK Reconsiders Homeland Defence Amid Rising Hybrid Threats

Increasing hybrid attacks across Europe—most recently a sabotage incident on the Dutch rail network and a cyber intrusion blamed on Moscow that cost Jaguar Land Rover nearly £2 billion—have prompted senior British military and security officials to re-evaluate the nation’s preparedness for attacks on its own soil. Planners warn that critical infrastructure such as ports, airports, rail hubs and road junctions are vulnerable to “single-point-of-failure” scenarios, with roughly 95 % of imports arriving by sea and almost half of food supplies dependent on maritime routes. The prospect of Russian submarines or the spy vessel *Yantar* targeting navigation channels at ports like Milford Haven, Felixstowe, Grangemouth or the Port of London underscores the urgency.

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Defence procurement minister Luke Pollard announced the cancellation of the second phase of the RAF’s Project Guardian, a command system for UK air defence, saving £9.47 million. In a written statement, Pollard said the Ministry of Defence is rewriting its “war books” – a practice from the World Wars – to prepare civil society for potential attacks. An unnamed senior official highlighted the absence of dedicated homeland forces, stating, “We have no homeland naval force and command as such and no homeland army.” Senior commanders now argue that the Army should be split into a 1st Army for overseas missions and a 2nd Army focused on homeland defence, supported by specialists in cyber and electronic warfare and reservists.

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Analysts note that the government’s current defence spending target of 2 % of GDP may need to rise to 3.5 % by 2035 to fund sustained homeland-defence capabilities. Critics contend that the nuclear programme’s inclusion in the defence budget since 2010 has distorted spending comparisons with European allies, inflating the apparent shortfall for conventional forces. Proposals include extracting nuclear and intelligence budgets into separate ministries and creating a combined command for home forces, reserves and supporting agencies.

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> “We have no homeland naval force and command as such and no homeland army.” — one official

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