UK Must Prepare for State-Sponsored Attacks on Infrastructure, Streeting Says

Speaking at a new tank gun barrel factory in Telford in the West Midlands, Streeting said the public should consider how to respond to hybrid warfare risks, including cyber-attacks that could knock out payment systems used by businesses or cause supply chains to collapse. The factory is owned by the German manufacturer Rheinmetall and is part of efforts to accelerate rearmament in the face of Russian military threats, but Streeting also emphasised that the public should be prepared for hybrid warfare, or sabotage actions that stop short of outright war.

He also said the public should consider natural risks, such as flooding or wildfires. “Terms like hybrid warfare and grey zone threats do not accurately capture or convey to the general public what I prefer to describe as state-sponsored terrorism,” Streeting said. “So in the face of those threats, which are not hypothetical but real, and not somewhere else but increasingly here, we have to step up and take seriously our national resilience as well as our national defence.”

“It’s really important that we ask households and businesses, are they prepared? Are they ready? Do they know how they would respond in the event of everyday challenges that might manifest themselves?” he said.

European states have become increasingly vocal about the threat of sabotage efforts by enemies, particularly Russia, which can cause disruption or even directly threaten safety. The Guardian reported that these efforts have included an explosives-laden drone found next to a Ukrainian cargo plane at Germany’s Leipzig airport in August, and a series of unexplained explosions and fires at defence facilities.

The government indicated in August that UK citizens will be told to stock up on tinned food and take other steps to prepare for national emergencies. Streeting’s comments came less than a week before the first budget under Andy Burnham and his chancellor, John Healey. The defence secretary said Healey would set out plans to increase military spending to 3.5% of GDP in next year’s spending review.

He said: “I suspect at this stage of the budget cycle I am the only member of the cabinet who can confidently say both at this budget coming up and next year’s spending review that not only have we been spending more on defence, but we will continue to invest even more in defence, and it’s vital that we win.”

Editor's Summary

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the UK must prepare for state-sponsored terrorism against everyday infrastructure, including cyber-attacks and sabotage, and urged households and businesses to consider their readiness. He spoke at a Rheinmetall factory in Telford as European states warn of Russian-linked sabotage. His remarks came before the first budget under Andy Burnham and John Healey, with plans to raise defence spending to 3.5% of GDP in next year’s spending review.