Britain said on Tuesday that it would build a new homeland security headquarters to improve its response to a “major threat” from terrorism, a breakthrough chemical, biological, or nuclear likely to occur by the end of the decade. In its integrated review, which meets the priorities of the country’s post-Brexit policy, the government said that Britain poses a significant threat to its citizens and interests, mainly from Islamic terrorism, but also from the far right and to some extent Far-left and anarchist.
There is also a threat from militants in Northern Irish militants who want to destabilize the peace deal in the British province established in 1998. The government review said, “Terrorism will remain a major threat over the coming decade, with a more diverse range of material and political causes, new sources of radicalization and evolving tactics”, promising a “robust, full-spectrum approach in response”.
Britain faced four deadly terrorist attacks in 2017, with a suicide bombing at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester that killed 22 people. Earlier this month, police said they had thwarted three attacks since the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic in March last year, and 28 plots since March 2017.
The central plank of the security approach will be the creation of a new Counter-Terrorism Operation Center to bring together police, detective agencies, government officials, and elements from the judicial system. It said this would improve the UK’s response speed to events and help it stay ahead of emerging threats.
Leaked details, including an increase in nukes, the threat of terrorist dirty bombs, and a plan to send troops overseas “more often and for longer” were not confirmed by No10 tonight. Nor were there plans to cut 24 Typhoon jets, 13 Hercules transport aircraft, two specialist sub-hunting frigates (HMS Montrose and HMS Monmouth), a fleet of 13 hunters, and the Queen’s four remaining VIP jets. But Downing Street confirmed plans for a £ 9m White House-style status center under Whitehall to react to future crises.
This is when Boris Johnson announced a £ 16.5bn increase in defense spending over the next four years with the creation of an agency dedicated to artificial intelligence, and a “space command” capable of launching Britain’s first rocket by 2022.