The British Army is discussing creation a force of up to half a million soldiers, including civilians, to defend the UK in the event of an all-out war against a country like Russia. Mister Patrick SandersChief of the General Staff, stresses that it is essential to take measures to ensure that citizens are protected “prepared if necessary”. “It is wise to lay the foundation for national mobilization,” he added in a speech in which he mentioned the episodes before the outbreak of the First World War, when it was not possible in Europe to deal with the effects of the crisis triggered in July 1914 predict eAssassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. “We cannot afford to make the same mistake,” he stressed. “Ukraine brutally shows that regular armies start wars; But it is the civilian armies that win them,” he said during the International Conference on Armored Vehicles in London.
When they are close to fulfillment two years after Vladimir Putin's invasion beganSanders' words had a major impact on the United Kingdom, a key arms supplier to Kiev.
Downing Street was forced to rule out a return to conscription, completed in 1960. Number 10's spokesman stressed that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak disagreed with Sanders' views. Furthermore, he did not consider it appropriate to discuss whether the British army was strong enough to fight Moscow in the event of war. “I think those hypothetical scenarios involving conflict are not helpful and I don’t think it’s right to bring them up,” he said.
The government did not want Sanders' speech from last Wednesday to come to light. It is more, The press was prohibited from entering the conference. And although Downing Street now wants to turn the tide, sources in Whitehall (where the government departments are located) admit to newspapers that there is a need to have “a broader conversation” about how to operate in a more dangerous world.
As Putin's war shows no signs of ending in the short term and the prospect of it becoming more and more real a victory for Donald Trump in the United StatesThere are increasing voices in Europe fearing that the conflict could escalate. In the 21st century, technology and artificial intelligence play a key role, but it has been shown that wars continue to rely on tanks and soldiers on the battlefield. And there is a fear that the armies of the Old Continent will not have sufficient reserves if tensions escalate.
Especially in the Baltic countries, who fear they will be the next to suffer an invasion if they give in to Putin in Ukraine. Estonia's top military commander, Martin Heremsaid NATO underestimated Russia's ability to produce ammunition and recruit troops.
Recent calls by the Swedish government and the Swedish army for the population to prepare for the possible outbreak of war in the Nordic country have, in turn, drawn criticism from both pacifists and the opposition. Annelie Börjesson, president of the Swedish United Nations Federation, recently told public television SVT that she had “received calls from young people who are worried and think that Sweden is the next country that will invade Russia.” While Börjesson is aware of the instability in the Baltics, “the risk of Sweden being affected is low.”
Regarding the UK, Sir Patrick Sanders, Chief of the General Staff, said in his speech that it should have one within three years Army of more than 120,000 men, including regular soldiers, reserve soldiers and a “strategic reserve” of former military personnel who could be called up in an emergency.
However, Sanders said that would not be enough to win a war and that it was important to take action to ensure the public won “on a war footing if necessary”. A senior Whitehall source revealed to the Times that training Ukrainian civilians on British soil could serve as a “mission test” for training ordinary men and women for British forces.
According to the law, the defense minister can recall former officers or other ranks to serve at the front if they are under 55 years old. The same applies to those who served in the Royal Navy, although there are exceptions. There are no detailed guidelines on how Britain would mobilize a force large enough to confront Russia. However, Defense Department experts believe this should be discussed. There are currently no recruiting plans. and the Defense Department relies on volunteers. British forces have currently done this 172,443 regular and reserve troops, including 102,529 army soldiers.
