The country’s chief of defence staff, Nicholas Carter, believes that at the same time London should limit its military capabilities at sea and in the air and choose a “less aggressive tone for broadcasting in information space”
Nicholas Carter, Britain’s chief of defence staff, suggested that rivalry with the kingdom’s adversaries in cyberspace should be sharpened, following a concept that suggests competition with Russia and China. This was reported by The Times newspaper, which published an interview with the British general on Saturday.
“To defeat Russia and China, we need to defeat them at their own game”, – Carter claimed in an interview with the publication. – “To defeat them [Russia and China], we need to beat them on their own turf, that is, to beat them without crossing the threshold of war”, – he added.
The Times also cited excerpts from a speech made by the general on Thursday at the Joint Royal Institute for Security and Defence Studies. At the time, Carter said that London “should probably go for an escalation in cyberspace, while somewhat limiting military capabilities at sea and in the air and choosing a less aggressive tone to broadcast in information space”. The general likens such a strategy to a spider’s web, because it requires taking into account many interconnected domains simultaneously and being able to escalate or de-escalate the confrontation rapidly on multiple fronts as needed.
Carter added that next year he plans to hold several staff games for the country’s leaders to practise dealing with crisis situations that require quick, complex decisions. He also reiterated the need to update the legal, ethical and moral framework within which the British military operates, so that, on the one hand, they have enough freedom and, on the other, soldiers who break the law can be held accountable.
Earlier, General Patrick Saunders, head of the UK Strategic Command, acknowledged in a speech that the UK has the necessary capability to carry out cyber attacks that could disrupt the infrastructure of a potential adversary in a tactical or strategic confrontation.