Five former British Defense Secretaries and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson are demanding that the current Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer give the immediate authorization to Ukraine to use the long-range Storm Shadow missiles to attack deep into Russia. They insist that “there is no conceivable case for delay” and that otherwise “Britain is in danger of falling behind into the pack of ditherers, appeasers and delayers,” according to inews.co.uk. The five former defense secretaries are Grant Shapps, Ben Wallace, Gavin Williamson, Penny Mordaunt, and Liam Fox.
Speaking of Britain’s role, Wallace said, “We were the first in Europe to put in lethal weapons and we have continued to support Ukraine all the way through.” They have insisted that the Russians are merely bluffing when they say that this would mean “war,” and should be ignored.
British sources have complained that the White House is in a “holding pattern” on the issue of using the Storm Shadow missiles and they blame the U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan for the hesitation. The U.S. argument is that West should wait until Ukraine reveals its “victory plan” later this month when it addresses the UN General Assembly debate. One Tory Party source said that in America there is a deeply held belief that Ukraine can not win the war, the missiles will not change that, and to use the missiles would risk a serious escalation with zero benefits.
The Storm Shadow missiles are made mostly in Britain, France, and Italy, but depend upon a U.S.-built GPS system. The British in theory could launch the missiles, but the Russians have been very successful at jamming the U.S. GPS systems. However, there is a secondary guidance system that would use terrain and other features for guidance which may allow the missiles to reach their destination, but that would require full U.S. support.
