British military commanders are to warn Britons that they could be called up to fight for king and country if they go to war with Russia. This is because the military is “too small” to deal with conflicts alone.
Chief of Staff General Patrick Saunders is expected to stress the need for ministers to “mobilize the nation” in the event of a broader conflict with Russia amid the invasion of Ukraine.
His warning came almost two years after he said Britain was facing a “1937 moment”, referring to the two years leading up to World War II.
General Patrick, who has publicly criticized the military’s understaffing, believes there must be a “change” in the mindset of people who should be willing to protect Britain from foreign enemies.
However, there are reports of disagreements with the army chief, Admiral Tony Radakkin, who is due to retire in six months, and is thought not to be in favor of conscription, but NATO leaders are trying to prepare their allies. Take all necessary actions to fight Vladimir Putin’s forces.
However, his warning is believed to be against the government’s wishes. General Patrick has publicly criticized the Army’s equipment and troop numbers.
He will make his appeal to ordinary Britons at the International Armored Vehicles Conference in Twickenham today, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Last summer, he likened Army vehicles like the Warrior armored vehicle and Challenger 2 tank to “rotary dial phones of the iPhone era.”
In a scathing assessment of the military’s capabilities, he said, “Our procurement record is poor and our land-based industrial base is in decline.”
“Furthermore, our Army Reserve is not as capable or reliable as we need.”
He reportedly had a falling out with Admiral Tony and resigned a few days later.
General Patrick’s impending retirement was mourned by then-House Defense Committee Chairman Tobias Ellwood, who praised him for his “willingness to tell political leaders what they needed to hear, not what they wanted to hear.”
If conscription is introduced, it will be the first time in more than 60 years that Britons will be forced into combat.
Compulsory military service was introduced during World War I under the Military Service Act of 1916.
In 1939, following the outbreak of World War II and the day Britain declared war on Germany, the National Service (Armed Forces) Act was enacted, making it compulsory for all men of fighting age between the ages of 18 and 41 to enlist.
After World War II, a new National Service Act was passed requiring all young men between the ages of 17 and 21 to serve in the military for 18 months and remain on the reserve list for several years.
National service continued until 1963, when the last military personnel were deported. Conscientious objectors can refuse, but will be required to justify their objections to participation in court.
And while it has never returned, the idea of reinstating this period of national service emerged just recently over the summer — albeit in a more voluntary form that teens could opt out of. but.
General Patrick’s warning comes after a senior North Atlantic Treaty Organization official warned that the West faces an all-out war with Moscow within the next 20 years, which comes after several member states’ military leaders This is one of the warnings issued by departments and ministers.
Article 5 of the Establishment Treaty operates on the condition that “an attack on one is an attack on all,” meaning that “all other members” of the alliance are protected against attack by external forces. You are required to take whatever action is deemed necessary.
On Tuesday, the organization signed a $1.2 billion contract to produce 220,000 shells for member countries, clearing the way for allies to backfill the arsenal and provide Ukraine with more ammunition.
It has also mobilized around 90,000 troops in a war game aimed at sending a message to Russia not to consider attacking member states.
The exercise, dubbed “Steady Defenders,” will run until late May and will involve troops from all 31 NATO member states, as well as candidate country Sweden, said Christopher, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe.・U.S. Army General Cavoli said.
Admiral Rob Bauer, a member of the Dutch Navy and chairman of NATO’s military committee, said Europe needed to recognize that it too had a role to play in a conflict.
He said, “We need to realize that peace is not a given.” That is why we (NATO forces) are preparing for a conflict with Russia.
“But the discussion is much broader. It’s also an industrial base and people need to understand that they play a role too.”
Mr Bauer said large numbers of civilians would need to be mobilized in case a global war broke out, and governments needed to ensure their countries were “war ready”.
“Public and private stakeholders need to change their mindset from an era where everything was planable, predictable, controllable and focused on efficiency to an era where anything can happen at any time. Expect the unexpected. “This is a time when we need to do something,” Bauer warned.
Meanwhile, Sweden, which is preparing to join the NATO alliance later this year after Turkey accepted its application yesterday, is also warning its people that full-scale war could soon occur.
Defense Minister Karl Oskar Bolin recently said, “The world faces a security outlook with greater risks than at any time since World War II.”
“Are you an individual?” Have you ever wondered if you have time to join a self-defense organization? If not, get moving!
And yesterday, Norway’s defense chief added to the growing calls to prepare for war with Russia.
Eirik Kristoffersen said NATO countries would need “two, maybe three years” to prepare for an attack by Putin’s forces.
His announcement came as secret German plans were leaked. are preparing for president putintroops attack NATO By 2025 at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Russia continues to step up airstrikes on Ukraine’s biggest city, with fresh strikes carried out on Tuesday after the country ignored pleas for a deal to end the nearly two-year war.
The onslaught included more than 40 ballistic, cruise, anti-aircraft and guided missiles and was considered the heaviest barrage since drone strikes on Kiev and Kharkov in the New Year. ing.
More than 10,000 civilians have been killed and nearly 20,000 injured since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to the United Nations.
Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov issued a chilling threat to Western countries: “Don’t threaten us” at a press conference amid growing calls for an end to attacks on Ukraine.
Lavrov added in translated comments: announced by the Russian governmentin a rebuke to Britain, noted that “Winston Churchill coined the maxim about Russian bears and how to behave around them.”
Churchill once said of the “big Russian bear sitting on one side of me with his legs spread” and America, whom he compared to a buffalo, “a poor little English donkey who knew the only right way home.” He compared it to ‘.
His comments after the 1943 Tehran Conference, which sought to agree a united front against the Nazis, are thought to have been a comment on Britain’s weakened position on the world stage compared to Russia and the United States.
Although the number of regular soldiers in the British Army is just over 75,000, sources claim that applications to join the army are the highest in six years.
British authorities have resorted to desperate measures to deal with the problem, including offering a £7,500 “golden handshake” to soldiers transferring to parachute regiments.
However, the Royal Navy has struggled to recruit compared to other navies, with only 29,000 full-time recruits.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that the Navy would retire two warships due to a lack of sailors, underscoring the scale of the military’s staffing crisis.
HMS Westminster and HMS Argyle will be retired later this year and their crews will be sent to work with the new Type 26 frigate fleet once they are commissioned.
Cabinet tensions over defense spending have since surfaced. Council President and Honorary Commander of the Navy Penny Mordaunt warned that Britain’s interests were at risk if the navy did not keep pace with its adversaries.
Writing in the Sunday Times, she broke with the practice of collective responsibility in government and called for more investment in the military. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps dismissed her comments as an “opinion”.
“We must not only ask how much Russia and China are building their fleets, but also why,” Ms Mordaunt said.
“The future Royal Navy must be able to continue to secure our interests, which are entirely predicated on being able to thwart attempts to deny us access to the seas in certain parts of the world. There is.”
