General Patrick Sanders is set to announce in a speech today (January 24) that the size of the military is the smallest in centuries and will “mobilize the nation” in the event of war with Putin’s Russia. We plan to request the British government to do so. According to the Telegraph.
The paper understands that the army chief is not supporting conscription, but rather a “change in mindset” as the British public prepares for all-out war.
The comments came after Prime Minister Shapps said last week that the UK was facing a “pre-war world” and advocated an increase in Western defense spending.
Read more: Grant Shapps’ defense speech was based on appalling assumptions
In a major speech, he described the risks posed by countries and terrorist groups such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea in an increasingly dangerous world.
Before the Defense Preparedness Paper, Mr Shapps supported spending levels above the government’s target, arguing that spending should rise to 3%.
In a speech at Lancaster House, he said Britain was increasing its funding and a record £50 billion a year was being spent on defence.
However, the speech was seen as a call for additional funding, as many domestic and NATO allies have not met the alliance’s spending target of 2% of GDP.
Also last week, anti-terrorism police said Britain faced the most “serious threat” of hostile foreign interference and espionage since the Cold War from the “triple threat” of Russia, China and Iran.
And a former chief of staff of the British Army has 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”.
But Shapps insisted that even under a Conservative government, the size of the army would never fall below 73,000.
“We don’t expect it to go down to 50,000 people,” he said.
“Actually, specifically 73,000 plus contingency funds.”
Conservative Party leaders continued to downplay concerns about the capabilities of the British military.
