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Topics: UK News, World News
Joshua Nair
A new government document has outlined the goals set to ensure British security amidst rising tensions in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Officially published on Tuesday (24 June), the chilling document has issued a number of warnings to the public on what to expect in the coming years, and how we must prepare for potential warfare.
With comparisons to both World War II and the Cold War in the document, it explains that we are in a time that has the same growing tensions as those periods.
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Speaking of national spirit and the need for 'the determination of British people' to get through this tough period, it also warned against some of the methods which the UK's adversaries may use to target the nation.
It's called 'National Security Strategy 2025: Security for the British People in a Dangerous World', and it was published on the official government website.
The document includes a lot of information on how people must 'actively prepare' for war on British soil, warning that the next few years will be a 'test' for the nation.
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Alluding to the spirit shown during the second World War, it has called for a similar approach from the public in order to achieve the country's security goals amid worldwide threats.
As tensions earlier this year grew between Russia and Ukraine, more issues have since risen in the Middle East between Israel and Iran, prompting America to get involved at the defence of the former.
While the UK has been adamant in staying away from conflict, concerns from the public about getting involved have remained.
The document said that the threat of nuclear weapons is 'more complex than it was even in the Cold War', saying that China and Russia are looking to get an advantage in 'outer space, cyberspace, the deep sea, and at the Arctic and Antarctic poles'.
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Chillingly, they warn: "For the first time in many years, we have to actively prepare for the possibility of the UK homeland coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario."
"Some adversaries are laying the foundations for future conflict, positioning themselves to move quickly to cause major disruption to our energy and or supply chains, to deter us from standing up to their aggression," it further explained.
While Keir Starmer has pledged to spend five percent of the UK's GDP on national security by 2035, it's believed it will bring civilian and military priorities together 'in a way not seen since 1945'.
Warning that the next few years will test the nation, it highlights that the direction it takes 'will reverberate through the decades'.
However, it called for Brits to be optimistic, adding that it can tap into the determination of the people, aiming to 'mobilise that spirit again and use it both for our national security and the rebuilding of our country.'
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The document explains that as the UK didn't keep up with the spread of nuclear weapons around the world, 'the threat' is 'once again growing'.
"Tackling this challenge is likely to be more complex than it was even in the Cold War, with more states with more nuclear weapons, the further proliferation of nuclear and disruptive technology, and the failure of international arms control arrangements to keep pace," it adds.
They listed assassination, intimidation, espionage, sabotage, and cyber attacks among other methods in which the UK is 'directly threatened'.
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It adds that undersea cables, energy pipelines, transportation and logistics hubs could be targeted by enemies.
The document also detailed that hostile nations such as North Korea and Russia are more willing to work together.
They state: "As our adversaries and competitors engage in further military modernisation, issueslike technology transfer and sanctions enforcement are going to become increasingly important."