The UK government announced a significant investment exceeding £1 billion in cyber warfare and digital defense initiatives as part of its strategic defense review (SDR). Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized the urgent need for bolstered defense spending, targeting 2.5% of GDP by 2027, against a backdrop of enhanced threats, particularly from Russia. Notably, the launch of a Digital Targeting Web (DTW) aims to improve operational efficacy for frontline troops. Defense Secretary John Healey highlighted the importance of adapting to changing warfare dynamics, especially elucidated by the cyber strategies employed during the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
"Ways of warfare are rapidly changing - with the UK facing daily cyber attacks on this new frontline," said Healey. "The hard-fought lessons from Putin's illegal war in Ukraine leave us under no illusions that future conflicts will be won through forces that are better connected, better equipped and innovating faster than their adversaries."
Starmer said the threat the UK faced now was "more serious, more immediate and more unpredictable than at any time since the Cold War."
Healey said the Digital Targeting Web would enable British soldiers to pinpoint and eliminate targets quicker than ever before, drawing on lessons learned by the Ukrainians in their fight for freedom.
In his speech, Starmer set out plans to raise Britain's defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 and 3% in the next Parliament, promised pay rises to the armed forces, and pledged to spend on enhanced weaponry.
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