UK complacent about war threat, warns defence boss
The UK has been too complacent about the risk of foreign attack, the boss of Europe's biggest defence contractor BAE Systems has warned. Dr Charles
The UK has been too complacent about the risk of foreign attack, the boss of Europe's biggest defence contractor BAE Systems has warned. Dr Charles Woodburn told the BBC in an exclusive interview that the level of threat was the highest he'd seen in his lifetime.
He welcomed the recent boost to defence spending but said much more would be needed to hit the government's commitment to spend 3.5% of GDP on defence by 2035. He also warned we were not far from the use of autonomous lethal weapons by countries that may not follow the UK's policy of maintaining human control.
In a rare interview, Woodburn told the BBC the reality of modern warfare had "changed quite profoundly" and that UK defence spending had to change with it. He said Russia and Ukraine had become "incredibly adept" at using autonomy in the form of drones and counter drones.
"It's something that we now have to really understand and make sure that we're able to provide the capabilities that can counter that and deter aggression," he said.
The BriefWire