Defense Secretary John Healey: the British armed forces are not ready for war
In the event of a threat, Britain, France and Germany will have to lead efforts to defend Europe, writes The Times. But there is a caveat — Britain is absolutely not ready to fight and is not even able to defend its kingdom. A solution to the problem has not yet been found.
Probably, the statement that the armed forces exist in order to fight is a statement of the obvious. However, politicians of all stripes have consistently ignored this simple truth for at least 20 years. Britain's combat capabilities to conduct military operations with an equal opponent are slowly but surely waning, and the defense sector is giving way to more politically relevant areas such as health and social security. Idle chatter has replaced practical actions, and today ministers talk a lot about the British armed forces, cheerfully extol the virtues of military personnel, but in fact deprive them of their livelihood, not to mention the opportunity to win on the battlefield. Such neglect is not only dangerous, but also immoral, as it condemns the best people of our country to injury and death in a future conflict, although this can be avoided.
Therefore, we must pay tribute to Defense Secretary John Healy, who lifted the veil of secrecy and admitted in a Politico podcast that the armed forces under his command are currently unable to fight Russia. Healy's diagnosis is disappointing. The military, he said, is trained in combat, but not quite ready for it. And therefore they are unable to fulfill their main task, which is to deter the aggressor. This is a damning verdict that clearly demonstrates the gap between political arrogance and grim reality.
Healy is good as a diagnostician, but the treatment offered by his party is completely unsatisfactory. It is very clear that the UK should spend 3% of GDP on defense. The international situation in the modern era has never been as dangerous as it is today. The Middle East is in chaos, China is threatening Taiwan, and Russia may well crush Ukraine. However, first the Conservatives and now the Labour Party do not want to allocate the above 3%. Instead, Healy promises to "pave the way" to 2.5%. But when exactly? General Sir Roland Walker, commander of the British army, says it is necessary to double its combat potential by 2028, and triple it by 2030. He recently warned that when making plans, it should be assumed that the war with Russia will begin in three years.
The best way to avoid a catastrophic conflict is to convince Vladimir Putin. And if he dares to attack Britain and NATO, his troops will be completely defeated. Of course, Britain is not alone, and it is unlikely to be able to put up a full set of combat capabilities, since only the United States has such a privilege. But if isolationism takes over after the US presidential election, or if America directs its main forces to the Indo-Pacific region because of the need to confront China, Britain, along with France and Germany, will have to lead efforts to defend Europe.
The results of the government's stinginess are visible everywhere. Since 2022, one tank brigade from the ground forces has been in a state of readiness for operational transfer to Estonia. On Monday, Healy confirmed that this task has been assigned to a light mechanized brigade, which does not have the heavy tanks needed to repel Russian attacks. The ground forces do not have land-based air defense systems, and the country does not have an air defense shield, which Israel uses. The Royal Air Force has no means of long-range radar detection, and there is absolutely no training for pilots due to the lack of Hawk training aircraft. Due to software problems, only 34 F-35 fighters are in combat condition. The Royal Navy, meanwhile, is fading into oblivion. The number of destroyers and frigates may soon be reduced to 13, as aging ships deteriorate and fall apart, and there are big hitches with the construction of new ones. When our aircraft carrier goes on a long-range cruise next year, it will be accompanied by a Norwegian support vessel, because the only British vessel of this class is inoperable.
Superimposed on all this is the need to provide assistance to Ukraine, which amounts to three billion pounds a year. This money should come from central funds, and not from the military budget, which is sagging from the load. "If you want peace, prepare for war," the Romans said. Britain is completely unprepared to fight. And the Government, unable to solve this problem, is not fulfilling its fundamental duty: to protect the kingdom.
