Defence expert warns Britain could face direct attacks as Europe prepares for war and the UK has no credible defence plan
Europe is showing Britain what proactive defence looks like, a former Swedish foreign minister has warned, as senior UK military figures raise fresh alarms about the country’s ability to protect itself in a major conflict.
Listen to this article
Tobias Billström, now Director of Strategy and Government Affairs at Nordic Air Defence, said the UK risks being left dangerously exposed as warfare evolves rapidly, particularly through the use of drones and long-range strike systems.
Writing exclusively for LBC Opinion, Mr Billström pointed to a stark intervention this week by the head of the British military, Sir Richard Knighton, who warned that Britain currently has no credible plan to defend itself in the event of war.
The comments come amid escalating tensions across Europe, the continuing war in Ukraine, and mounting concern over Russia’s expanding use of drones, missiles and hybrid tactics that increasingly blur the idea of a traditional frontline.
Mr Billström said the pace of technological change in the Ukraine war had transformed modern conflict, with relentless drone attacks on civilian areas, incursions into European airspace near major airports, and suspected Russian “shadow fleet” vessels mapping critical undersea infrastructure.
He warned that the UK’s geographical distance from the fighting offered little protection as long-range systems develop and the threshold for targeting civilian and economic infrastructure continues to fall.
“Europe is adapting to this new reality faster than Britain,” he argued, pointing to Sweden’s recent decision to spend around $440 million on an unmanned drone defence system as part of a wider $1.6 billion investment in air defence.
By contrast, the UK spent £118 million upgrading its air defence systems last year, a figure defence analysts say is insufficient given the scale and sophistication of emerging threats.
Former RAF air marshal and analyst Sean Bell has warned that Britain no longer has an effective interceptor capable of protecting critical national infrastructure.
Mr Billström said the UK had historically relied on strategic depth provided by European allies, but that assumption no longer holds when drones and missiles can reach targets hundreds or even thousands of miles from the battlefield.
He acknowledged that large-scale investment in air defence can appear abstract at a time of pressure on public finances, but warned that the cost of inaction could be devastating.
“It only takes one missile or drone to slip through the net for an oversight to become an unspeakable tragedy,” he said.
Without urgent action, he warned, the kinds of attacks seen repeatedly in Ukrainian cities could one day be replicated in capitals far from the front line, including London, he warned.