The United Kingdom now faces graver security risks and threats than at any point since the Cold War, according to the nation’s top military leader. In a candid interview with BBC Radio 4’s flagship current affairs program Today, Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Richard Knighton starkly framed the current moment as the most perilous he has witnessed in his entire professional career.
A key indicator of this mounting tension, Knighton revealed, is the sharp spike in incursions by Russian strategic aircraft into United Kingdom airspace. In just the first five months of this year, the number of such incursions has already matched the total count recorded across the entire 12 months of 2025. This sustained pattern of aggressive probing has left the military chief warning that Russia is steadily raising the stakes, with a growing risk of accidentally crossing a red line that could trigger far more serious escalation.
Looking back at the 2025 Strategic Defence Review, Knighton described the policy document as a clear “call to arms” for British national security. He noted that for decades, the UK armed forces structured their training and readiness around short, contained conflicts. But that framework is no longer fit for purpose, he argued: today, the UK must prepare for prolonged, large-scale conflicts of the type seen in Ukraine.
Knighton’s comments arrive ahead of the long-delayed publication of the UK’s upcoming Defence Investment Plan, which is expected to be released in the coming weeks. The plan, which will lay out funding allocations for new military equipment and defense infrastructure across the next 10 years, was originally scheduled to be published in autumn 2025. This week, Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is committed to releasing the plan before the key Nato summit scheduled for July 7.
Responding to recent criticism from former defence secretary Lord Robertson, who warned that UK military capabilities have been severely diminished, Knighton expressed confidence that the current government recognizes the scope of existing threats and is moving to increase defence spending. “Exactly as the prime minister says, we need to spend more on defence and do it faster,” Knighton stated, adding that the core challenge for ministers remains making the tough trade-off decisions required to free up necessary resources.
The military chief also emphasized the urgent need to adapt to the changing nature of modern warfare. He highlighted that uncrewed drones and autonomous weapons systems will grow increasingly central to future military operations, requiring UK forces to update their equipment and strategy accordingly.
Beyond traditional airspace incursions, Knighton pointed out that Russia is probing the UK on multiple fronts, including through cyberattacks, sabotage operations, and assassination attempts on UK soil. “Russia is definitely raising the stakes and risks crossing a line,” he reiterated, stressing that the British public must understand the gravity of the current situation and accept that this may require shifting national priorities and making different policy choices.