MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Former MI6 chief warns more awareness of possible war with Russia needed

“I think we’re more comfortable thinking about the army as like the England football team,” Younger regretted

Former MI6 Chief Sir Alex Younger (2014-2020) - commonly referred to as “C” - warned that the United Kingdom must prepare for a potential war with Russia, for which the country would be caught with a weakened military and industrial base due to progressive disarmament.

“We have disarmed militarily, that much is clear. We have largely dismantled our military and industrial base, and that represents a serious problem,” Younger warned.

In an interview published by The Independent on Sunday, Younger urged British authorities to rethink national defense issues, criticizing the public's detachment from the armed forces and suggesting broader reserve integration or compulsory national service.

His concerns align with European Union (EU) reommendations for citizens to prepare “72-hour survival kits” amid rising tensions, including Russian covert tactics and the presence of the spy ship Yantar in British waters, which could threaten undersea infrastructure.

“I think we’re more comfortable thinking about the army as like the England football team; they go and do their thing over there and we watch it on telly – and that can’t happen anymore,” he stressed.

Dr. Rachel Ellehuus of the Royal United Services Institute added that while Putin may not invade NATO states imminently, he is testing the limits of NATO’s Article 5 through unconventional means, heightening the risk of conflict.

Ellehuus claimed that Moscow has been implementing tactics below the threshold of conventional warfare through covert and digital offensive activities that do not automatically trigger mutual defense clauses. These maneuvers represent a direct threat to Europe's collective security.

In Younger's view, the UK should pay more attention to its reserve forces and underscored former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's idea of national service. “This is probably more about a more creative and broader conception of what the reserves is,” he explained. Such an initiative would bring about “broader benefits,” he argued.

The EU has recently said that due to “growing geopolitical tensions and conflicts, hybrid and cybersecurity threats,” the challenges ahead “cannot be ignored.”

“Our citizens, our Member States, and our businesses need the right tools to act both to prevent crises and to react swiftly when a disaster hits,” EU President Ursula von der Leyen said.

According to The Daily Mail, the Yantar, a Russian spy ship, was seen in British waters, which could lead to the sabotage of gas pipelines and undersea cables, resulting in potential mass blackouts and disruptions in everyday life.