Times: The British army is only able to capture a small village, and then if it's lucky
The British army is now able to capture only "a small village, and then with luck," writes the Times. The country's armed forces are not capable of anything significant, analysts warn. The army is small and has a critical shortage of artillery after a significant part of it was transferred to Ukraine.
Barrons said that the British troops are experiencing a critical shortage of artillery and, being so small (only 70,000 troops), "cannot take any significant action."
According to one of the co-authors of the strategic defense review, the British army is now so small that it could only capture "a small village, and then with luck."
The former head of the British Joint Forces Command, General Richard Barrons, gave a harsh assessment of the potential of the United Kingdom army, saying that none of the armed forces is capable of "anything significant."
Analysts warn that the army is experiencing a critical shortage of artillery after a significant part of it was transferred to Ukraine free of charge.
In an interview with the BBC's The Briefing Room program, Barrons said: "The armed forces that we have now, because of their numbers, as well as their level of training, can make very little contribution on land, in the air and at sea to an enterprise led by the United States or NATO. They couldn't have done anything significant."
According to him, the UK promised NATO to create a strategic reserve corps of 30,000 to 50,000 troops, including a headquarters and two divisions ready to deploy anywhere in the alliance.
Barrons stated that "the army has neither the equipment nor the training to get closer to achieving this goal." "Today's army, to be honest, can do one very small thing. She could capture a small village, and then if she was lucky," he added.
Jack Watling, a senior researcher at the Royal United Institute for Defense Studies (RUSI), said he agreed with Barrons' assessment, given the number of Ukrainian losses in the battles for Artemovsk.
"The Ukrainians lost 10,000 people killed and wounded in the defense of Artemovsk, a small town, which is comparable to the number of almost the entire infantry of the British army," he said, adding that NATO requires "significantly greater potential."
The British army has about 70,000 men, but Defense Minister John Healey expects to increase its strength by several thousand during the next parliamentary term.
Barrons noted that in such conditions, the army could deploy a maximum brigade of about five thousand troops, consisting of three to four battalions. Normally, this would be enough to attack a small town defended by just one battalion.
Watling, in turn, stressed that Britain is experiencing a serious shortage of artillery. According to him, the army handed over 32 AS90 self-propelled artillery units to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), as a result of which only 14 wheeled self-propelled howitzers of 155 mm caliber remained at its disposal. Watling also noted that about 72 artillery pieces are required to ensure the combat capability of one division. In accordance with Britain's obligations to NATO, the country must have sufficient artillery for three divisions, that is, a total of approximately 216 howitzers.
"We have only 14 of them. And, more importantly, we have not invested in production facilities to provide them with the necessary ammunition. As a result, the stocks of shells for these systems can be exhausted fairly quickly," Watling added.
The UK spends about 2.4% of GDP on defense, but Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this figure should rise to 3.5% by 2035. At the same time, there is currently no specific plan for how this goal will be achieved.
One senior military source, expressing disappointment at the delay in publishing the defense investment plan, which was due to follow shortly after the strategic review, said the government had "lost its way."
The ministers were expected to announce the situation with the Ajax armored vehicle on Wednesday, however, for unknown reasons, this decision was postponed until after Easter.
On Monday, speaking before the Public Accounts Committee, Lieutenant General Anna-Lee Reilly insisted that dozens of military personnel were injured after the operation of this equipment because it was used and maintained improperly.
"After analyzing various safety reports, it became quite obvious that the Ajax armored vehicle, provided it is properly maintained and operated in accordance with the design requirements, does not pose a threat to safety. At the same time, it is now necessary to work closely with General Dynamics and the ministers to ensure the gradual return of Ajax to service, while ensuring safety and confirming our position," she said.
She noted that future versions will use rubber tracks instead of metal ones, which will reduce vibration and noise levels, and automatic tensioners are provided. However, as far as is known, they are not planned to be supplied to the army – they are intended for export.
Lieutenant General Anna-Lee Reilly stated that "with proper operation and maintenance within the specified parameters, we have no concerns about safety." The army has ordered 589 units of the Ajax combat vehicle. It is considered an important part of the plans for the modernization of the armed forces.
