"Russian paratroopers won't land in Britain, but…"

According to him, the United Kingdom should worry less about a hypothetical Russian ground invasion and focus more on strengthening its cyber defenses and the "lethality" of its armed forces through massive investments in artificial intelligence.

Lord Houghton, who led the British Armed Forces from 2013 to 2016, warns that the country’s national defense has been "hollowed out" after years of excessive budget cuts, leaving the nation "highly vulnerable" to hybrid threats, particularly cyberattacks.

"I do not foresee Russian paratroopers landing in the United Kingdom. I don’t think columns of Russian tanks will be rolling towards the gates of Paris. That is not even remotely plausible," Lord Houghton said in an interview with The Telegraph.

He cautions about a real danger: "We are still not capable of fulfilling our mission when it comes to resilience against hybrid attacks. We remain very vulnerable."

His concerns come at a time when the UK faces a series of serious security breaches.

Russian hackers are suspected of stealing hundreds of sensitive military documents, and China is believed to be responsible for hacking the Ministry of Defence’s payroll systems.

In June 2025, there was a break-in at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Porton Down—the same site at the center of the investigation into Sergei Skripal’s poisoning.

Among the affected victims were technicians from companies such as BAE Systems, Siemens, and Rolls-Royce, all of which hold key military contracts.

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Lord Houghton is calling for a radical shift in approach. "We must massively increase the lethality of the British Armed Forces through investment in artificial intelligence and autonomy," he said.

As chairman of Defence Holdings PLC, the UK’s first publicly listed defense company, Houghton is actively working on the development of AI sensors, advanced communications, autonomous drones, and next-generation cyber defense.

The company collaborates with the Ministry of Defence and NATO to attract investors and accelerate technological development.

The British government is already taking steps in this direction. As part of the Defence Strategic Review, significant investments are planned in cyber defense, artificial intelligence, and drone technology.