Ричард Найтона ОХУ-аас үүдэх аюул нэмэгдэж буй энэ үед Их Британи батлан хамгаалах бэлэн байдлаа бэхжүүлэх шаардлагатай гэж мэдэгдэв.
Их Британийн Батлан хамгаалахын штабын дарга, агаарын маршал сэр Ричард Найтона “Файнэншл таймс”-т өгсөн ярилцлагадаа улс орон нь ОХУ-ын “бодит” аюулд хариу үзүүлэхдээ Европын холбоотнуудаасаа хоцорч байгааг хэлжээ. Түүний үзэж буйгаар, Кремль эрсдэл хүлээх хандлагаа нэмэгдүүлж, ОХУ тэргүүтэй, дэлхий дахинд өргөжиж буй аюул түүний насанд хүрсэн үеийн хамгийн аюултай түвшинд хүрсэн байна.
Найтона ОХУ-тай холбоотой зорилтот аллага, хорлон сүйтгэх ажиллагаа, кибер халдлагын талаар Европт, мөн тодорхой хэмжээнд Их Британид нотлох баримт байгаа гэж мэдэгджээ. Европын агаарын тээврийн компаниуд болон хэвлэл мэдээллийн байгууллагуудын эсрэг ирсэн бөмбөгийн заналхийллийн эх үүсвэрийг тагнуул, аюулгүй байдлын байгууллагууд хамтран шалгаж байгаа ч хариуцагчийг тогтоох хүртэл ажил үргэлжилнэ; ОХУ Европт үйлдсэн гэх эрлийз ажиллагаанд оролцсоноо өмнө нь үгүйсгэж байв.
Тэрээр засгийн газар ОХУ-ын аюулыг олон нийтэд тайлбарлахын зэрэгцээ батлан хамгаалахын зардлыг нэмэгдүүлэх шаардлагыг үндэслэх хэрэгтэйг онцолсон байна. Ням гарагт BBC-д ярилцахдаа Найтона ус, хүнсний нөөц бүрдүүлэх тухай засгийн газрын зөвлөмжийг дэмжиж, онцгой байдлын алба болон зэвсэгт хүчин улсын хамгаалалтын эхний шугам боловч иргэд ч бэлтгэлээ хангахад хувь нэмэр оруулж чадна гэжээ.
Найтона өнгөрсөн сард Европ улс орнууд өөрсдийн батлан хамгаалалтад илүү хариуцлага хүлээхийг уриалсан юм. Украйны дайн цэргийн бэлэн байдал, үйлдвэрлэлийн чадавх, улсын тэсвэрлэх чадварын ач холбогдлыг харуулсан бөгөөд батлан хамгаалах чадавхаа бэхжүүлэх нь дайнд бэлтгэх бус, харин түрэмгийллийг тогтоон барьж, энх тайвныг хамгаалах зорилготой гэж тэр мэдэгджээ.
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Britain is falling behind its European allies in confronting the “very real” threat posed by Russia, the head of the UK military has warned.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton told the FT that the UK needs to “catch up with our European allies” who, he said, are more awake to the Kremlin’s mounting appetite for risk.
“This is the most dangerous period I’ve known in my adult life,” the chief of the defence staff, 57, said, adding: “That threat – principally from Russia, but more broadly globally – is rising.”
Sir Richard assessed that Moscow was increasingly tolerant to risk and told the newspaper that the term “hybrid activity” no longer captured the scale of Russia’s alleged disruptions.
“We’re talking about targeted assassinations, we’re talking about sabotage, we’re talking about cyber attacks,” he said. “These are very real, real things [by] the Russian state we have proof of in Europe and to some extent in the UK.”
European security officials only this week said they were investigating whether a series of bomb threats against European airlines and news organisations originated in Russia.
A cross-border investigation between intelligence and security agencies to trace the origin of the threats is under way, intelligence officials told the FT, stressing that there is still a long way to go before attribution cane be made.
Some in the community were confident regardless that Russia was the most likely culprit, the newspaper reported. Russia has previously denied involvement in hybrid attacks on European soil.
Sir Richard said that the British state will now have to explain the Russian threat to the public while trying to justify spending more on defence.
Sir Richard also told the BBC on Sunday that he was responding to the government’s call for households to stockpile water and food supplied amid growing concern about disruption from hostile states.
Asked what is in his emergency kit at home, he said he had been considering that with his wife and spent the weekend clearing out cupboards to discover “there’s a lot of tins in the Knighton household”.
“I put some extra shelves in,” he added, “and this is something, though, we should we should all be thinking about.
“Our first line of defence for the nation are our emergency services – who do a phenomenal job – and the armed forces. But all of us can play a part in readying ourselves.”
Writing for The Independent last month, Sir Richard urged that Europe must take greater responsibility for its own defence as war returns to the continent and shows that security can no longer be taken for granted.
“Russia’s war against Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of military readiness, industrial capacity and national resilience,” Sir Richard said.
“It has also reinforced the need for European nations to strengthen their defence capabilities and assume greater responsibility for their collective security.”
“This is not about preparing for war. It is about preventing it,” he said, adding: “History has repeatedly shown that weakness can invite aggression, while strength preserves peace.
“The purpose of deterrence is simple: to convince our adversaries that the costs of aggression will far outweigh any potential gain.”
