The boss of Europe’s largest defence contractor has accused the UK of being too complacent about the risk of foreign attack, warning that the level of threat is the highest he has seen in his lifetime.
Dr Charles Woodburn, chief executive of BAE Systems, told the BBC in an exclusive interview that the reality of modern warfare had “changed quite profoundly” and that UK defence spending had to change with it. His warning came as BAE unveiled a life-size model of an unmanned fighter jet at the Farnborough International Air Show, in front of the new Defence Secretary Wes Streeting.
“BAE Systems CEO warns UK complacent over war threat, calls for more defence spending”
Woodburn 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 added.
The company’s new Collaborative Combat Aircraft, named Brontanax, is designed to fly alongside manned fighters, delivering four times the firepower at just 20% of the cost of a piloted aircraft. But Woodburn cautioned against abandoning traditional platforms. “If you look at what our adversaries are building, they’re also building significantly large platforms – aircraft, ships, submarines,” he said, arguing that a combination of manned and unmanned systems is the “winning” formula.
While it is perhaps unsurprising that the head of a defence firm would call for more spending, Woodburn pointed to a broader pattern of neglect. “This is by far the most threatening time I’ve seen,” he said. “Even when I joined the company in 2016 I was amazed at what we saw Russian submarines doing, the cyber attacks. I think that’s come a long way sadly as a result of the Ukraine conflict we’re much more aware of the proximity of a hot war in Europe.”
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 by 2035. Woodburn also warned that the world was “not far” from the use of autonomous lethal weapons by countries that may not follow the UK’s policy of maintaining human control.
The warning comes as the war readiness of Britain’s armed forces has been questioned by senior military figures and openly mocked by the US. General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, the First Sea Lord, recently said the navy is not prepared for the scale of conflict that could arise.