Britain must be ready for war within 1,000 days: Defense secretary

Britain must be ready to fight and win a war within the next 1,000 days as hostile states expand their military capabilities, Defense Secretary Wes Streeting has warned.

Writing in The Telegraph on Saturday, Streeting said Britain's adversaries could be ready to attack by 2030, giving the UK and its NATO allies a little over three years to prepare.

"Our adversaries' willingness to harm us is not new. What has changed is their capacity. By 2030, their force strength and war economy could put them in a position to attack. That gives us a little over 1,000 days to complete our mission: to be ready with our allies to fight and win," he wrote.

"To prevent the worst, we have to prepare for it. My defining priority is to make sure that this country is ready to fight and win a war," he added.

Streeting also warned of growing threats from hostile states, cyberattacks, organized crime and climate change, including risks to critical infrastructure. Speaking on the BBC, he said Britain faces a greater level of threat "than we have certainly for most, if not all, of my lifetime."

The warnings coincide with the government's newly launched "Be Ready" campaign, which advises households to stock enough essential supplies to last three days during a national emergency.

The guidance recommends keeping bottled water, nonperishable food, cash and other necessities at home. The government said the initiative aims to strengthen national resilience rather than respond to any specific intelligence warning.

Streeting said terms such as "hybrid warfare" and "grey zone threats" did not adequately convey the risks posed by hostile states.

"It's really important that we ask households and businesses, are they prepared? Are they ready? Do they know how they would respond in the event of everyday challenges that might manifest themselves?" he said, according to The Mirror.

"In the face of those threats, which are not hypothetical but real, and not somewhere else but increasingly here, we have to step up and take seriously our national resilience as well as our national defense," he added.

The government cited a recent PHP software security incident as further evidence of the need for preparedness. Vulnerabilities disclosed Wednesday prompted governments and businesses worldwide to strengthen their systems, triggered millions of hacking attempts and forced some services offline.

Streeting warned that cyber incidents could become more frequent as artificial intelligence makes it easier for attackers to bypass traditional defenses.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham also called for a more proactive approach to emergencies. Speaking at a meeting on the response to wildfires, he said Britain had previously been "on the back foot" and announced a new wildfire response plan that includes deploying military aircraft.

"It's not about panicking. It's about just taking sensible measures to have enough in the house to tide you over should there be a difficult situation," Burnham told the BBC.

The UK's advice echoes guidance issued by the European Commission in March 2025 urging EU citizens to maintain 72-hour emergency kits containing essentials such as food, water, cash and power banks.