• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Ex-military chief gives chilling warning to British people as global tensions rise

Home> News> UK News

Published 08:07 5 Jun 2025 GMT+1

Ex-military chief gives chilling warning to British people as global tensions rise

The assumption that rising global tensions could never reach these shores is not a safe one

Joe Harker

Joe Harker

Sir Richard Barrons, a former chief of the UK's Joint Forces Command, has warned that the British public needs to be taught how to survive a missile attack as global tensions escalate.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer recently said that the UK must be prepared for war, saying that over the next few years, he was moving the armed forces to 'war-fighting readiness' and that the country faces a 'more serious and immediate' threat than anything encountered since the end of the Cold War.

The government's Strategic Defence Review, co-authored by Sir Richard, has warned that the UK faces an array of threats, including cyber attacks, long-range drones, and missile strikes.

Advert

Meanwhile, Russian propagandists bleat on about how their nuclear arsenal could wipe us all out and claim that Britain is Russia's 'number one target'.

Russia is still reeling after being caught out by a major drone attack from Ukraine, which targeted several military bases and destroyed a huge amount of equipment, but they are expected to retaliate against the country they have been invading for over three years.

Back in the UK, Barrons told The i Paper that 'families and communities' had to make ready for war along with those in charge of major companies and vital public services.

Sir Richard Barrons, an ex-military chief in the UK, warned that Brits needed to be ready for potential attacks (Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Sir Richard Barrons, an ex-military chief in the UK, warned that Brits needed to be ready for potential attacks (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

He suggested that among the measures Brits may need to come up with was having the NHS create a 'volunteer reserve' of retired staff who could be called back into action should the need arise.

Advert

The retired general said that it was 'unlikely' but not 'impossible' that British towns and cities could be struck, suggesting that teaching people what to do in the event of an air raid could reduce casualties should the worst come to pass.

He said: "There is a clear, present risk – particularly as President Putin does see himself as being at war with the West.

"The homeland is again on the pitch – it's not got some magic immunity from war, in the same way that Kyiv doesn't. Air and missile attacks will cause civilian casualties in potentially very large numbers."

Barrons further suggested that the UK could learn a thing or two from the likes of Finland and Sweden and their 'total defence' plans.

Russia and Ukraine have seen a couple of drone attacks (Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Russia and Ukraine have seen a couple of drone attacks (Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Advert

While those Nordic countries are much closer to Russia than Britain, long-range missiles make great distances a relatively trivial matter.

The retired general said that in those countries, 'the entire population feels part of the defence effort', whereas the UK is 'just not anywhere near that', lamenting a 'lack of awareness' among Brits about how much danger they could be in.

He claimed that the UK's 'biggest national weakness in defence' was ignorance and complacency in society, warning that the NHS might have to prepare for a situation where it would be treating casualties.

As much as we hope it doesn't come to that, you hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

Featured Image Credit: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Topics: UK News, World News, Army, Russia

Joe Harker
Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

X

@MrJoeHarker

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • WW3 tensions rise as Iran makes chilling threat to UK amid ongoing conflict
  • Russia sends worrying threat to US after Trump ‘approves plan’ for Iran attack as tensions rise
  • Vladimir Putin makes chilling WW3 warning as he says Germany are a 'wrong move' away from reaction
  • German government tell teachers to 'prepare children for war' as ex-MI6 chief issues warning to UK

Choose your content:

11 hours ago
12 hours ago
  • 11 hours ago

    British tourist left fighting for her life after catching deadly lung disease on all-inclusive holiday

    Donna Jobling was placed in a medically induced coma 11 days ago after her holiday to Crete took a tragic turn

    News
  • 12 hours ago

    Satellite images show impact site of US bombs on Iranian nuclear facilities

    New satellite snaps have revealed the extent of damage done by the US on Iran's military base

    News
  • 12 hours ago

    Man posed as a flight attendant for over 100 free flights in case compared to Catch Me If You Can

    Tiron Alexander was found guilty of wire fraud and unlawfully entering a secure airport area under false pretences earlier this month

    News
  • 12 hours ago

    Government issues serious sexual health warning for Mounjaro users as weight loss drug set to be available on NHS

    The advice from officials is for a specific group of people

    News