General Patrick Saunders, the commander of the British Army, warned in a speech on Wednesday that the British military was so exhausted that it would be necessary to “mobilize the entire nation” in the event of war.
Tensions are rising around the world in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, an ambitious China, and Iran’s involvement with Islamic militant groups, which came under the spotlight during the Palestinian war.
Retired corporal Cliff Purvis, 62, told the National newspaper that the army chief’s confession showed how Westminster had “hollowed out” the force.
He said the situation reflected the situation when the British military was weakened in the aftermath of the Boer War and built up in World War I.
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“The veterans were foaming at the mouth,” said Purvis, who served in the Armed Forces for 24 years.
“The military has been hollowed out.”
He argued that if the British Army had to fight a full-scale war in its current state, conscription would have to be raised quickly and would last only two weeks.
Mr Purvis also said the approval underlined the need for independence, adding: “We need to get Scotland out of the Downing Street mindset.”
Defense Secretary Grant Shapps (above) said last week that Britain was facing a “pre-war world” and called for an increase in the military budget.
Last week, counter-terrorism police said Britain faced the most “serious threat” of hostile foreign interference and espionage since the Cold War due to the “triple threat” of Russia, China and Iran.
A former chief of staff of the British Army also recently warned that Britain risks a repeat of the 1930s unless it invests more in its armed forces.
General Dannatt said the Army is shrinking in size, from 102,000 in 2006 to 74,000 today, and is “decreasing rapidly.”
He drew parallels with the 1930s, when the “pathetic” state of the British military failed to stop Hitler, and said there was “a grave risk of history repeating itself”.