https://www.defensenews.com/global/e...-the-military/
Britain unveils new operating concept for a ‘fundamental transformation in the military’
LONDON — The British military and government must “fundamentally change” the way they counter the political and military ambitions of authoritarian rivals , or risk being overwhelmed, warned the country’s top soldier.
Gen. Nick Carter’s speech at the Policy Exchange think tank Sept. 30 coincided with the publication of Britain’s new “Integrated Operating Concept.” The chief of the Defence Staff said key changes backed by the concept include improved integration of effort across government and
with allies, equipment modernization, and constant competition with adversaries below the threshold of war.
The
concept says the strategy rethink “represents the most significant change in UK military thought in several generations. It will lead to a fundamental transformation in the military instrument and the way it is used.”
Carter said one of the “big ideas” in the operational concept was that it makes a distinction between “operating” and “war fighting."
“In an era of persistent competition, our deterrent posture needs to be more dynamically managed and modulated. This concept therefore introduces a fifth 'C' — that of competition — to the traditional deterrence model of comprehension, credibility, capability and communication,” he said. “This recognizes the need to compete below the threshold of war in order to deter war, and to prevent one’s adversaries from achieving their objectives in fait accompli strategies, as we have seen in the Crimea,
Ukraine, Libya and further afield.
“Competing involves a campaign posture that includes continuous operating on our terms and in places of our choosing.”
Carter also identified the nature of the growing threat driving Britain to rethink its strategy.
“Our authoritarian rivals see the strategic context as a continuous struggle in which nonmilitary and military instruments are used unconstrained by any distinction between peace and war. These regimes believe that they are already engaged in an intense form of conflict that is predominantly political rather than kinetic,” he said. “Their way of warfare is strategic, it is synchronized and systematic, and our response must be too.”
The new concept comes ahead of the government’s Integrated Defence Review, expected in the second half of November. The review is planned to bring together British policy thinking across defense, security, foreign policy and overseas development spending.
Government ministers and advisers previously signaled the review would see the military effort pivot away from conventional military capabilities and move toward a greater focus on space, cyberspace and artificial intelligence.
Carter’s speech and the new strategy document are the best evidence to date of where the government’s plan for change is heading.......