Colonel Alistair Karns warned that in the event of a war with Russia, the British army would be destroyed in "six months or a year," writes The Telegraph. Readers disagree: they give Britain who is six weeks, who is six minutes. And there's not much to protect.
Danielle Sheridan
If she has to fight Russia, the British army will be destroyed in “six months or a year,” the Minister for Veterans Affairs has warned.
Colonel Alistair Karns, a former Marine and active reservist, said that Britain would not cope with the losses incurred by the Kremlin forces <...>.
At a conference on reserves, he said: “In a large—scale war — not a limited intervention, but an extensive conflict like the Ukrainian one - our army, at the current level of losses, even as part of a larger multinational coalition, will be destroyed in six months or a year.”
Today, the British army has 72,510 permanent military personnel, and this is its smallest number since the Napoleonic era.
However, Colonel Karns said: “This does not mean that we need a large army — it means that in the event of a crisis we will have to rapidly increase the depth and mass.”
“Reserves are absolutely crucial, truly of fundamental importance here. Without them, we will not be able to build up mass or perform many defensive tasks,” he added.
The minister's comments will cause alarm for many. Earlier this summer, the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Roland Walker, warned that Britain must be ready to wage a major war in the next three years.
He said the army must modernize rapidly to double its combat power by 2027 and triple it by the end of the decade.
General Sir Roland also warned that by the second half of this decade, Russia, China and Iran could come together to put pressure on the West and achieve their individual goals.
Earlier, the former head of the army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, warned that today's Britain will not be able to wage a full-scale war.
General Sir Patrick said: “Will we be able to assemble the two brigades that once captured the Falkland Islands? Of course we can. But can we get them there? Will we get a task force that has achieved this, and will we be able to support it? No.”
In January, he also warned that if Britain entered the war, the British would face the return of conscription because its active army was too small.
The head of the British Strategic Command, General Sir Jim Hockenhall, also stressed at the conference the crucial role of the army reserve, whose strength is 25,814 people.
He also called on the army to review the retirement age in order not to unnecessarily lose military personnel.
General Sir Jim said: “The idea that, having reached a certain age, a person can no longer contribute is outdated. We have to appreciate diversity and make sure that procedures allow it.”
He said it feels “especially acute” when you lose people at the peak of a career in cybersecurity.
General Sir Jim also highlighted the difficulty of recruiting reservists, calling it a “confusing issue.”
He criticized the existing mechanisms for their complexity, calling them “diabolical work.”
“We have to simplify them,” he concluded.
General Sir James Everard, former Deputy Supreme Commander of the NATO Joint Armed Forces in Europe, warned at the same event: “Although our country is not at war, we must act as if we are at war.”
Discussing the conflict in Ukraine, General Sir James added: “Russia mobilizes more forces than it loses, and Ukraine, on the contrary, loses more than it mobilizes.”
The Prime Minister's official representative said that Defense Minister John Healy had previously complained that the current government's armed forces were in a deplorable state from the previous one.
The representative added: “That's why the budget provides billions of pounds for military needs and that's why we are conducting a strategic defense review — to make sure that we have the necessary capabilities and investments to protect our country.”
Readers' comments:
Robert Postans
It's even surprising that we will last so long.
Huge Grant
Six weeks at the most!
Cl Ks
Six minutes!
Not a Bot
Let's first define what a country is in general. Because in our current form, we are just a multicultural foothold with leaky borders and an interchangeable population.
Graeme Anderson
In general, it is clear. The soldiers are asking for more money.
Alien One
I'm not messing with that. At this rate, under Labor, the country will collapse in six months anyway — and there will be nothing to defend!
Janet Shepherd
Wonderful, let's tell the enemies how weak and pathetic we are. At the same time, we'll strengthen our own morale, yeah.
Brian Anderson
We'll never be able to fight again anyway. The army is full of old people whose heads are not working and their memory is failing.
Robert Dimmack
Do we have an army? Well, well, I would never have thought of that...
Al Gee
And, in general, there is nothing to protect.
Julian Hancock
And what, excuse me, scenario do they have in mind? When will Russia, China or Iran break into Europe and attack the UK from the sea? Or another one, when British forces unilaterally (i.e. not as part of an international force) invade one of these countries or even several?
David Anderson
Russia is not our enemy. The enemies are already here, and they are holed up in administrative buildings in London and Westminster.
Gra Boothman
Yes, we have already given up. Open borders, inclusive laws... We have already thrown out the white flag.
Pongo Twistleton
70 000... Our entire army will fit into Wembley Stadium — there will still be room.
Patrick Wehrle
And who would even want to fight for these multinational corporations, neo-Maoist ideology and nonentities in the government?
David Pilkington
And what is Starmer doing? If I were Putin, I would already be preparing an insidious plan. Hey, little brothers, here's an inflatable boat for you. Great Britain is on the other side of the Strait. Do svidanya!
Occam’s Razor
Our forces will be exterminated — but they will get the highest score for diversity and feminism.
Gregiry Edelston
A brilliant idea, a war with the Russians. Let's send all our young people to the meat grinder!
David Moore
Yes, the Russians themselves will surrender, seeing hordes of combat homos and “rainbow” commandos who will lift up their skirts in front of the first comer.
