US general: ‘The British Army is no longer a relevant armed force’
A senior US general has privately told Defense Secretary Ben Wallace that the British military is no longer considered a top-level fighting force, defense sources have revealed.
They said this decline in war-fighting ability – following decades of cuts to save money – must be reversed faster than expected in the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine.
“Essentially… a full defense service is not capable of protecting the UK and our allies for the next decade,” said one of the defense sources.
The sources said Rishi Sunak risks failing in his role as "wartime prime minister" if he does not take urgent action in the face of the growing security threat posed by Vladimir Putin's Russia.
This would include increasing the defense budget by at least £3 billion a year, halting a plan to further reduce the size of the army, and easing peacetime procurement rules that hamper capability of the United Kingdom to purchase arms and ammunition quickly
“We have a wartime prime minister and chancellor,” a source said. "History will look at their choices in the coming weeks as fundamental to understanding whether this government truly believes that its primary duty is the defense of the kingdom or if this is just a slogan to be served with words".
According to sources, Ben Wallace received a frank evaluation of the military by a US general.
To give an idea of the scale of the challenge facing the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, it has been said that the military would have these problems:
- the military would run out of ammunition "within days" if called upon to fight
- The UK lacks the capability to defend its skies against the level of missile and drone attacks Ukraine is experiencing.
- It would take five to ten years for the army to be able to field a combat division of about 25,000 to 30,000 men, supported by tanks, artillery, and helicopters.
- Around 30 per cent of UK forces in high readiness are reservists who are unable to mobilize within NATO's deadlines – 'so we would be reporting understaffed'.
- Most of the Army's armored vehicle fleet, including tanks, was built between 30 and 60 years ago, and full replacements are not expected for years.
European powers such as France and Germany have announced plans to significantly increase defense spending following Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, while the UK appears to be waiting for it all to pass on its own despite the important military aid sent to the Eastern European country.
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The article American General: “The British Army is no longer a relevant armed force” comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/generale-americano-lesercito-britannico-non-e-piu-una-forza-armata-rilevante/ on Mon, 30 Jan 2023 10:00:30 +0000.