UK Not Ready for War, Former NATO Chief Warns: We Are Not Safe

UK is “not safe” and dangerously ill-equipped for modern warfare, former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson warned Parliament on Friday, stating that calling Britain underprepared is “an understatement.” 

File Photo Source: KCL Security on X

Addressing the House of Lords during a debate on the newly released Strategic Defence Review, Robertson said the UK lacks essential warfighting capabilities—ranging from ammunition and logistics to trained personnel and medical readiness.

The review, co-authored by Robertson, General Sir Richard Barrons, and defence adviser Dr Fiona Hill, outlines a bleak assessment of Britain’s defence posture. 

It calls for urgent investment in artificial intelligence, drones, and a £1 billion homeland missile shield to respond to growing threats from hostile powers like Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. 

Robertson accused successive governments of cashing in on a “peace dividend” while the world grew more unstable, warning that the war in Ukraine should have been a wake-up call.

“There may have been over-optimism, at worst, wishful thinking,” he said. “We don’t have the ammunition, the training, the people, the spare parts, the logistics, and we don’t have the medical capacity to deal with mass casualties. This country and its people are not safe.”

Peers across the political spectrum echoed the sense of urgency, but raised questions about financial commitments. Conservative Baroness Goldie warned that without funding, none of the review’s proposals would materialize. 

“Ambition must translate into specific financial commitment,” she said. Former defence chief Lord Stirrup said reaching the target of 3.5% of GDP for defence by 2035 would require a complete restructuring of government spending priorities. 

Labour’s Lord Coaker said the government had pledged 5% of GDP for national security by that year, but conceded that the path to get there was uncertain.

Others focused on neglected elements of national resilience. Lord Soames, grandson of Winston Churchill, said Britain lacked any public preparedness for major threats like cyberattacks or infrastructure failure. 

He called for a civil defence ministry and for citizens to stock food and supplies at home. Lord Harlech, a reservist, criticised the treatment of the Territorial Army, saying reserve forces are often sidelined, poorly equipped, and denied access to proper training.

Labour peer Baroness Goudie criticised the review for failing to address gender and the role of women in conflict resolution, calling it a dangerous omission. 

Meanwhile, crossbench peer Lord Hannay argued that soft power tools such as foreign aid and the BBC World Service must be maintained alongside hard military investments to ensure long-term global influence.

Robertson concluded with a warning: “The world we now live in has changed out of all recognition, and we have got to change as well. We are underinsured, underprepared—we are not safe.”