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The UK Defence Secretary, on transforming UK defence to meet the global threats of tomorrow
11th February 2019
Royal United Services Institute Lecture (London)
(Editor: This address to RUSI was given by the Rt Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP, UK Secretary of State for Defence. Over the course of the past century, UK defence has shaped our nation and the world for the better. As Britain prepares to leave the European Union, its role will become even more pivotal to our nation’s security and prosperity. What threats are we likely to face in the future? How should our Armed Forces be structured to confront them? What are the capabilities we need to tackle the dangers that lie ahead? In this wide-ranging address, Mr Williamson set out his views on the future of our Armed Forces. The Rt Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP was appointed UK Secretary of State for Defence on the 2nd November 2017. He served as the Chief Whip (Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury) from the 14th July 2016 to the 2nd November 2017. He was elected Conservative MP for South Staffordshire in May 2010.)
The Speech
Malcolm [Chalmers] thank you so much for having hosting this event here today at RUSI. It’s a real privilege and honour to be able to come along. It’s important to start off by asking the question why do we fight? It is fundamentally, to protect our people, protect our interests, and, of course, to defend Britain.
As a nation, we’ve never shied away from acting even if that has meant standing alone as we did in the darkest hours of the Second World War. Even after the Berlin Wall fell 30 years ago, when there was no overwhelmingly obvious threat to our security, we recognised the UK had a role and responsibility to stand up for our values across the globe. Defending our values took us to Kuwait, Bosnia, Sierra Leone and Kosovo and it made a difference to millions of peoples’ lives; but, after September 11th, the importance of defence increased as a deadly new threat arose. A threat not just to any nation but to all who cherished the values of the Western way of life. A global ideology seeking the destruction of everything that we hold dear. We have learned much from fighting Al Qaeda and Daesh, but, while we tackled this extremism, state-on-state competition has reviving. Today, Russia is resurgent, rebuilding its military arsenal, and seeking to bring the independent countries of the former Soviet Union, like Georgia and the Ukraine, back into its orbit. All the while, China is developing its modern military capability and its commercial power.
Today, we see a world of spheres of influence and competing great powers. Not only are we confronting a state like Russia, an ideological enemy without a state like Al Qaeda and Daesh, but the very character of warfare itself is changing. The boundaries between peace and war are becoming blurred. Our adversaries are increasingly using cyber-attacks, subversion, and information operations to challenge us and the rules-based international order; operating in the ‘grey zone’ and operating below the threshold of conventional conflict. Our Joint Forces Command is already dealing with this; but, we need to go further. We need to bring together our strategic capabilities. We need to integrate them more effectively, and a greater agility to meet the demands of this increasingly contested environment.
We and our allies must deter and be ready to defend ourselves. Ready to show the high price of aggressive behaviour. Ready to strengthen our resilience; and ready, where necessary, to use hard power to support our global interests; but there is a great opportunity here too. As we look at our position in the world, we should remind ourselves that we are a nation with a great inheritance. A nation that makes a difference. A nation that stands tall. Inevitably, there are those who say that we are in retreat, and those who believe that, as we leave the European Union, we turn our back on the world, but, this could not be further from the truth. Whether people voted to leave or remain, they believe Britain must continue to play an important and major role on the international stage.
It is my belief that Britain has its greatest opportunity in 50 years to re-define our role. As we leave the European Union, and, with the world changing so rapidly, it is up to us to seize the opportunities that Brexit brings. We will build new alliances, re-kindle old ones, and most importantly make it clear that we are the country that will act when required. We should be the nation that people turn to when the world needs leadership; and Defence will be pivotal in reinforcing Britain’s role as an outward looking nation. We are making sure it does so in a number of key ways.
A global presence
First, by increasing our global presence and building on our alliances. NATO some 70 years on from its founding, remains the bedrock of our nation’s Defence. In the past five years, the Alliance has come a long way. It is far more focussed and ready to deter and defend against Russian hostile acts; but, more European nations need to be ready and capable of responding too. Stepping up to the 2% NATO target and not being distracted by the notion of an EU Army. Britain must be willing and able to lead the Alliance, to bring stability in a changing-world. We are a leader in NATO, this year hosting the Leaders Meeting here in London. Alongside this, we have sent a Battle Group to Estonia to support NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence. We lead multi-national maritime task groups in the Mediterranean, and defend the skies over the Black Sea and the Baltics; and, we strongly support NATO’s Readiness Initiative to make sure forces are available and ready to do their job.
In NATO, we must stand firm against Russia’s non-compliance with the INF Treaty. If necessary being ready to deal with the threat that new Russian missile systems may pose. The Alliance must develop its ability to handle the kind of provocations that Russia is throwing at us because such action from Russia must come at a cost; nor, can we forget those countries outside NATO who face a day-to-day struggle with Russian attempts to undermine their very sovereignty. We stand ready to support our friends in the Ukraine and the Balkans. These countries have the right to choose their own destiny and be free from Russian interference. At the same time, in such an uncertain age, like-minded nations must come together to increase their own security. That is why the United Kingdom is leading the nine-nation Joint Expeditionary Force which in a few months’ time will take part in its first deployment to the Baltics, but we must not see this as our limit. We must be willing to go further. History has taught us that crisis comes when we least expect it. As uncertainty grows we must be ready to act, bringing others with us. Readiness has to be our new watchword.
In an era of ‘Great Power’ competition we cannot be satisfied simply protecting our own backyard. The UK is a global power with truly global interests. A nation with the fifth biggest economy on the planet; a nation with the world’s fifth biggest Defence budget; and is the second largest Defence exporter. Furthermore, since the new Global Great Game will be played on a global playing field, we must be prepared to compete for our interests and our values far, far from home. That is why Global Britain needs to be much more than a pithy phrase. It has to be about action; and our armed forces represent the best of Global Britain in action. Taking action alongside our friends and allies; action to strengthen the hand of fragile nations and to support those who face natural disasters; action to oppose those who flout international law; and action to shore up the global system of rules and standards on which our security and our prosperity depends…and action, on occasion, that may lead us to have to intervene alone.
Now, I know there are some that question the cost of intervention, but it is often forgotten the cost of non-intervention and the fact that this has been unacceptably high. It will not always be the role of the traditional Western powers to act as a global policeman, but nor can we walk-on-by when others are in need. To talk…but fail to act…risks our nation being seen as nothing more than a paper tiger.
I do not underestimate the challenges that this approach brings, but we do start from a position of strength. Our people already are acting around the world from the North Sea to the South Pacific to protect our interests, and we already benefit from strong international partnerships.; but we cannot take such relationships for granted. Our global presence must be persistent…not fitful. Patient…not fickle. Permanent…not fly-by-night.
So, as well as our relationships with Europe, we need to build on our established relationship with the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada as part of the Five Eyes. With Singapore and Malaysia in the Five Powers Defence Arrangement, with other ASEAN nations, with Japan, the Republic of Korea and India. With our partners in the Middle East, and with our many friends in Africa, from Nigeria in the West to Kenya in the East; and we are seeking to use our global capabilities to strengthen our global presence.
From this spring, HMS Montrose, along with five other naval vessels, will be based permanently in the Gulf using innovative crewing and support methods to keep the ship available for more of the time. Today, we also go further, and I can announce the first operational mission of the HMS Queen Elizabeth will include the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Pacific region, thus making Global Britain a reality. Significantly, British and American F35s will be embedded in the Carrier’s Air Wing. Enhancing the reach and lethality of our forces and reinforcing the fact that the United States remains our very closest of partners. We share the same vision of the world. A world shaped by individual liberty, the rule of law and, of course, the tolerance of others. We have the unique ability to integrate with US forces across a broad spectrum of areas, and, we are more determined than ever to keep working together.
We also will be using our string of global support facilities and military bases more strategically…to project power consistently, both hard and soft. The Duqm port facilities in Oman are large enough to be able to support our aircraft carriers. The Al Minhad and Al Udeid Air Bases, in the Emirates and Qatar respectively, provide strategically important capabilities. In Bahrain, our Naval Base and our long-standing Maritime Command make a major contribution to our activities in the region, but also beyond. Further afield we already benefit from facilities in Belize, in Brunei, in Singapore as well as our bases in Cyprus, Gibraltar and Ascension Island; and, I believe that we need to go further which includes considering what permanent presence we might need in areas including the Caribbean and Asia-Pacific to extend our global influence. Our proactive approach shows we are not getting by on half measures. For us global engagement is not a reflex reaction to leaving the European Union. It is about a permanent presence.
To be continued....
