11 March 2003
Missile defence 'will increase terror threat'
By Mark Odell and Krishna Guha
Financial Times

The warning of an increased threat of so-called "asymmetric" attacks will embarrass Tony Blair and Geoff Hoon, defence secretary, who angered many MPs by giving parliament little time to debate Britain's participation in the "son of star wars" system.

Welcoming the report, Mr Hoon said Britain would have to develop more "agile" forces to respond to the new threats. "It is possible that we will need to intervene more frequently to stabilise dangerous situations."

Mr Hoon said UK defence planning would have to prioritise "maintaining interoperability" with the US military "and thereby the ability to influence the US in their planning".

He warned that "the UK is likely to find it ever more difficult to retain a wide range of defence technologies on a purely national basis".

Last month, the government confirmed it had given the US permission to upgrade the radar at RAF Fylingdales in North Yorkshire, which monitors Europe and the Middle East, as part of the development of a shield for the US.

At the time, Mr Hoon described the decision as "a vital building block on which missile defence for this country could be developed" by allowing British companies to access US technology.

The MoD approved the upgrade little over a month after it confirmed Washington had made an approach, brushing aside concerns among Labour backbenchers that the deal would do nothing to aid the UK's security.

But these concerns were backed in yesterday's report from the Joint Doctrine and Concepts Centre, looking at the shape of threats to come.

The report identifies "significant proliferation" of biological weapons as the most "apparent trend" in the spread of weapons of mass destruction, helped by rapid advances in biotechnology.

New entrants with access to bio-weapons are expected to include Syria, Libya and Iran, which the US claims have links to terrorist groups, as well as India, Israel and Pakistan.

The report warns that advances in the military technology of the US and its allies will force rogue states to look at less conventional ways of attack.