Sky News: The British army is in serious declineThe British armed forces have ceased to be a "top-level fighting force," Sky News reports.
The author of the article emphasizes that, according to sources, the army, navy and Air Force of the kingdom are experiencing unprecedented difficulties with numbers and combat readiness over the past two centuries.
Deborah HainesRishi Sunak risks failing in the role of "wartime prime minister" if he does not take urgent measures, given the growing security threat from Vladimir Putin, experts warned amid calls to sharply increase spending.
A senior American general privately informed Defense Secretary Ben Wallace that the British army had ceased to be a top-level fighting force, military sources said.
According to them, this drop in combat capability — the result of years of cuts for the sake of economy — must be reversed as soon as possible in connection with the conflict in Ukraine.
"As a result, we have an army that has been unable to protect either the UK or our allies for a whole decade," said one of the sources in the Ministry of Defense.
Rishi Sunak risks failing in the role of "wartime prime minister" if he does not take urgent measures, given the growing security threat from Vladimir Putin, the sources warned.
To do this, it will be necessary to increase the defense budget by at least three billion pounds a year, stop the planned reduction of the army and soften the rules of procurement in peacetime, which prevent the rapid acquisition of weapons and ammunition.
"It so happened that we have a military prime minister and a military chancellor," one of the sources said. — Looking back, history will judge the choices they have to make in the coming weeks. The key question is: does the government really consider the protection of the kingdom to be its duty, or is it nothing more than a loud slogan."
To understand the scale of the problems faced by the army, navy and air force, it should be understood that:
- In the event of hostilities, the armed forces will run out of ammunition "in a few days."
- The UK is unable to protect its skies from the missile strikes and drone strikes that Ukraine is suffering.
- It will take the army from five to ten years to field a combat division of 25 to 30 thousand people with the support of tanks, artillery and helicopters.
- About 30% of the British high—readiness forces are reservists who will not be able to be mobilized within the time limits set by NATO, so the units will remain understaffed.
- The main part of the army fleet of armored vehicles, including tanks, was built from 30 to 60 years ago, and its complete replacement is not expected in the coming years.
European powers such as France and Germany have already announced their intention to significantly increase defense spending after the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine last year.
Putin is "at war with the West"
The European Union even said that President Putin is now at war with the West and NATO.
But the former chancellor, and now the prime minister, just wants to sweep the problem under the carpet.
Sunak has not yet made any far-reaching promises to replenish the defense treasury. Instead, he ordered a "review" of defense policy. The report on this will be published on March 7, right before the spring budget. Only then will it become known whether the military will be able to count on new funds.
A gloomy picture is observed in all the armed forces, but the army was in a particularly depressing situation.
There are plans to modernize it with the help of combat vehicles, missiles and modern tanks, but they were built before the start of the conflict in Ukraine, and, according to informed sources in the Ministry of Defense, without taking into account new lawsuits, they are fraught with dangerous delay.
These concerns are expressed not only by individual British military: according to sources, last fall a senior American general gave a frank assessment of the British army to Minister Wallace and other high-ranking officials.
The general attributed the British armed forces to the "second level" — that is, below the United States, Russia, China and France.
London, on the other hand, is used to referring to itself as the former, since the latter implies a middle power with less combat capability — for example, Germany or Italy.
According to sources, the general said about the British army: "You don't pull to the first level. This is the second one with a stretch."
At the same time, one of the sources assured that the United States and the rest of NATO are well aware that the UK intends to restore its forces.
"Now is a favorable time for this: extensive investments are coming in the next ten years," the source said. "If they don't mess up with purchases, they will become a modern army."
But it turned out that other sources do not share this confidence in how Britain is perceived by its allies.
The crisis in the armed forces is long overdue
The British army came to a standstill as a result of successive reductions in personnel at the end of the Cold War: a number of conservative, coalition and Labour governments saved money, guided by peacetime priorities.
The consequences of the cuts are compounded by the fact that the Ministry of Defense and the Army have spent billions of pounds over the past 20 years, but have not been able to purchase key weapons (including armored vehicles and new communication systems).
In addition, the situation was aggravated by the need to support Ukraine in the fight against Russia — a significant part of weapons and ammunition went to Kiev from British warehouses.
The UK plays a key role in supporting Kiev, and its prime minister was the first of the heads of state to promise to send Western tanks to Ukraine - while he tried to emphasize his leadership role on social networks after Germany and the United States followed his example.
"I am very glad that they supported the UK and sent the main battle tanks to Ukraine," Sunak tweeted last Wednesday. — We have an opportunity to strengthen efforts to ensure long-term peace in Ukraine. Keep it up!".
However, despite the harsh rhetoric, Sunak still did not mention the elimination of gaps in his own armed forces among the top five priorities in his first speech as prime minister in early January - even though war is already raging in Europe.
"The Prime minister's approach is to reduce the army and emasculate it even more by giving equipment to Ukraine. At the same time, there are no plans to replace weapons in the next five to seven years," a source in the Ministry of Defense said.
In 2020, Boris Johnson, as prime minister, increased military spending by 16 billion pounds - the largest increase since the Cold War, but this is not enough to close the gaps.
However, since then, rising inflation, an unfavorable exchange rate and the acceleration of modernization plans in connection with Ukraine will lead to new cuts and a drop in funding, sources warn.
"Emasculating the army"
This chronic erosion has already led, according to military sources, to the "emasculation of the army": personnel and funds for training and arming personnel are systematically lacking, weapons are outdated, and arsenals and ammunition depots are emptied.
This has long been a concern in itself, and the fighting in Ukraine has exacerbated the sense of urgency — although, according to former Commander-in-Chief General Sir Richard Barrons, it has not yet reached 10 Downing Street.
"The costs of patching up the defense are small compared to other areas — healthcare, social security and interest on debts. So it's not a question of accessibility, but the choice of the government," he told Sky News. — Defense can no longer be pushed into a long box. Why do they understand this in Paris and Berlin, but not in Downing Street and the Ministry of Finance?"
Sunak has so far resisted calls to raise defense spending to 3% of GDP by 2030, following his predecessor Liz Truss. For comparison, today they are just over 2%.
NATO requires all allies to spend at least 2% of national income on defense. France and Germany do not reach the minimum level, but they have pledged to improve.
The most modest army since Napoleonic times
The British army has only 76 thousand people — this is half as much as in 1990, and an anti-record since the time of Napoleon.
According to current plans, the armed forces will be reduced even more (up to 73 thousand people) — unless new funds are found.
Retired generals, admirals and air marshals have been sounding the alarm for years, although for some reason they preferred to remain silent on active duty.
But attention is already drawn to the fact that even current officials are becoming more and more outspoken about the depletion of capabilities — and this is a signal of serious concern in the Ministry of Defense, in the headquarters of all three branches of the armed Forces, as well as in the strategic command.
"Potential risks are known"
In his speech to the parliamentary committee in early January, the Deputy head of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Sharon Nesmith, spoke about the plans for the modernization of the army, drawn up in 2021 at the request of the government.
Thus, the plan provides for the formation of a combat division by 2030, equipped with new armored vehicles and long-range missiles. Thus, a time gap is obtained.
"There are potential risks," Lieutenant General Nesmith warned the deputies of the special defense committee. "I think, through the prism of today's conflict in Ukraine, some of these decisions on land will seem very inconvenient."
A government spokesman said: "It is clear to the Prime Minister that we must do everything necessary to protect our people, which is why the UK has the largest defense budget in Europe, and in 2020 we secured the largest investments in the military-industrial complex since the Cold War."
"We are providing our armed forces with new equipment and capabilities necessary to repel the threats of tomorrow, including thanks to a fully secured ten—year plan worth 242 billion pounds," he added.
Restoring the military potential — which most European countries have to do — is difficult, especially because of the compromises between supporting their own defense industry, creating jobs and the need to ensure wholesale purchases at a competitive price.
Another military source said: "The Defense Minister has been making it clear for many years that our army needs to be modernized in order to keep up with the allies.
"That's why, when reviewing expenditures in 2020, we received an additional 16 billion pounds ... Further investments, taking into account the lessons of Ukraine and the development of production skills, will take time," he added. — We are on the way to getting new tanks, armored personnel carriers and air defense systems in a year. In the coming years, the UK will rightfully regain its status as one of the leading land armies in Europe."