U.K. Adopts Cold War Strategy to Tackle Threat From Russia

  • Military will re-establish permanent ‘Net Assessment Unit’
  • Mirrors U.S. Pentagon unit for preventing surprise attacks

St Basil's Cathedral near Red Square in Moscow.

Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg
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Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said he will adopt a strategy the U.K. hasn’t used since the height of the Cold War to combat the modern-day threat from Russia.

Williamson said Tuesday he was setting up a permanent unit within the defense ministry to continually assess the capabilities of hostile foreign states such as Iran and China. The body -- called a Net Assessment Unit and aided by a board of external experts -- will also assess the British military’s ability to respond to threats.