Britain must "catch up" with Europe in dealing with the Russian threat, the head of the military department said. The Financial Times. Britain's Chief of Defense Staff, Air Marshal Richard Knighton, warned that Britain is lagging behind other European countries in understanding the threat posed by Russia and vowed to take further action against Moscow's submarines in the North Atlantic. Knighton said Britain needed to "catch up with our European allies", including those who are geographically closer to Russia and more aware of its aggression and war in Ukraine. In an interview with the FT, Knighton added that Moscow's risk appetite has "clearly increased" and the term "hybrid activity" no longer reflects the seriousness of Russia's actions.
"This is the most dangerous time I have experienced in my entire adult life. This threat - mainly from Russia, but more broadly around the world - is increasing. The British state needs to explain this to the public, especially at a time when the government is asking the public to increase defense spending," he said.
Knighton's words came on the eve of a naval agreement aimed at strengthening the defense of the North Atlantic, Arctic and Baltic regions.
The Joint Expeditionary Force - a British-led force that also includes the Netherlands, the Baltics and Scandinavia - will move "beyond memorandums of understanding, exchanges and meetings to actual and practical measures that define how our navy, air force and ground forces work together". "One of the critical objectives is to deter [Russian] submarines so that they cannot target or threaten maritime traffic in wartime," Knighton said.