LONDON – The UK government will today unveil much-anticipated military modernisation plans, vowing to bolster its defence of British interests “across multiple domains and in all corners of the globe”.
The long-awaited proposals, detailed in a report entitled “Defence in a Competitive Age”, focus heavily on boosting the country’s navy and global footprint, the British Defence Ministry (MoD) said.
It promises more ships, submarines and sailors and the transformation of the Royal Marines into a new unit called the Future Commando Force.
The force will be deployed on “an enduring basis” to help secure shipping lanes and uphold freedom of navigation, according to the MoD.
The army will create a new special operations Ranger Regiment which would “be able to operate discreetly in high-risk environments and be rapidly deployable across the world,” it said.
It highlighted the armed forces’ continued global activity, including launching strikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq and drug busts in the Arabian Sea, ahead of the report’s release.
The ministry also noted ongoing naval operations with NATO allies in the Baltic, and the deployment to Asia later this year of a carrier strike group led by the country’s new aircraft carrier.
The defence paper comes less than a week after the government published a broader overhaul of Britain’s security, defence and foreign policy, billed as the biggest since the Cold War era.
Crafted over the past year as London recalibrates its post-Brexit foreign policy, the so-called Integrated Review outlined a pivot in strategic focus towards Asia, labelling China a “systemic competitor”.
It also prioritised ongoing efforts to counter Russian threats and, in a surprise move to many, set out plans to increase Britain's nuclear stockpile.
The narrower defence review earmarks £200 million (RM1.137 billion) of investment over the next decade in the new navy commando force, which will conduct roles traditionally carried out by UK special forces.
It also pledges £120 million to establish an army special operations brigade and the new Ranger Regiment, which is set to be involved in what the MoD called “collective deterrence” with partner forces.
A new Security Force Assistance Brigade will provide guidance and training to allied partner nations and draw expertise from across the army, the MoD said.
Meanwhile the Royal Navy will develop a new surveillance ship, to come into service by 2024 with a crew of around 15 people, aimed at protecting Britain’s undersea cables and other critical national infrastructure. – AFP, March 22, 2021
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