Overview
- A Policy Exchange report co-authored by former defence chief Lord Stirrup and Daniel Skeffington says the UK is vulnerable to Russia and a rapidly expanding Chinese nuclear force.
- The authors argue deterrence must span conventional and nuclear capabilities and be backed by a demonstrated will to use them, not reliance on submarines alone.
- They recommend restarting large-scale allied exercises with a nuclear element to create “cognitive deterrence” by signaling the risk of escalation.
- The report warns Britain’s nuclear strategy expertise has eroded since 1989, leaving conceptual gaps adversaries can exploit.
- Defence Secretary John Healey told MPs the UK faces an era of rising threats after British support for the US seizure of the Russian‑flagged Bella 1, as separate UK–French plans for potential peacekeepers in Ukraine drew scrutiny over likely force size and costs.