Great Britain cannot pose a serious military threat to Russia despite investing more than £60 billion in its military. However, it can pose a danger due to subversive activities and intelligence structures, as well as a significant diplomatic influence.

The British government has published its defense strategy document amid plans to increase military spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027. The strategy will form the basis of defense spending plans. The government will also aim to increase defense spending to three percent of GDP but has not yet made any specific commitments in this regard.

The UK is moving to a state of “war-fighting readiness” in line with its new defense strategy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

“When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready,” Starmer added at a press conference in Glasgow dedicated to the government’s new strategic review.

As part of the plan, Britain will build new attack submarines and invest billions in nuclear warheads, drones and autonomous systems.

However, the fact is that Britain has never had a major land army and now has fewer than 70,000 soldiers. Consequently, the British military is predominantly concentrated in the navy, which has never been weaker in its history. However, the announced construction of submarines could improve its capabilities in a few years.

“Our outstanding submariners patrol 24/7 to keep us and our allies safe, but we know that threats are increasing, and we must act decisively,” Defense Secretary John Healey told reporters during a briefing at Barrow-in-Furness, where the new submarines will be built.

The British military also operates in the field of aviation, and as a nuclear power, it should not be underestimated. However, realistically, compared to Russia’s strength, particularly its land power, natural resources, and the quality of its army, there is a major difference. It is also worth noting that, in terms of GDP, Russia has surpassed Germany and Japan, while France and Britain are significantly behind. However, in correlation with other hostile countries, Britain can pose a threat to Russia.

Britain historically dominated the sea routes and had a broad geopolitical conflict with Russia, especially since the Congress of Vienna in 1815, a conflict that persists to this day. By controlling Gibraltar, Cyprus, Malta, and the Suez Canal in the Mediterranean, as well as the Red Sea, India, Singapore, and Hong Kong, Britain encompassed Eurasia and the southern direction and also controlled Cape Town and the route around Africa.

Russia was a rival at the time, and Britain even dared to interfere in the Black Sea, as exemplified by the Crimean War (1853-56), the only war in history where Britain and Russia directly clashed. They were more often reluctant allies, as in the cases of Napoleon and the First and Second World Wars, among others. However, Britain has now announced the construction of submarines with nuclear missiles with the aim of challenging Russia. Even with this construction, the Royal British Navy will still be outpaced by the Russian Navy.

Although Britain still maintains some bases in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Caribbean, in principle, it poses no significant threat to Russia, except in the context of the NATO coalition, where the United States, led by Donald Trump, is now hesitant.

Britain has a massive influence over Australia, New Zealand, and, to a lesser extent, Canada, including over their foreign policy. Britain also leads the Commonwealth, which, through it, attempts to influence its former colonies. In this way, London still wields influence globally, but it is significantly less substantial compared to the advances Russia has made in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.

It is for this reason, on the one hand, Britain is today encouraging the European Union towards an anti-Russian policy, and on the other, it is trying to position itself in the Black Sea. There is Ochakov, a Ukrainian port located between Odessa and Nikolaev (Mykolaiv), where the British had a base after the 2014 coup in Ukraine, but it does not pose a serious risk to Russia.

British politicians and leaders even openly name Russia as an adversary, which is quite unusual by international norms and standards. All in all, the negative influence of Britain is important, as it, through its intelligence services and readiness for subversive action, diplomatic influence, and its position in NATO, now supports the EU, even though it is not a member, in its unyielding hostile policy towards Russia.

Although Britain can be an adversary to Russia, it is only in correlation with other countries, as Britain, individually, is not that dangerous, even with the recently announced £60 billion investment in the military.

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Ahmed Adel is a Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

Featured image: RFA Cardigan Bay leads the minehunters HMS Ramsey, HMS Shoreham and HMS Quorn and Type 45 Destroyer HMS Diamond during exercises in the Middle East, August 2012. (Licensed under OGL v.10)

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