/ world today news/ The British are “facing conscription if we go to war with Russia”, writes the Daily Mail before a speech by the head of the British army to ministers that the number of troops in the United Kingdom is so small that it will have to more people to be “found” if the conflict in Ukraine escalates, and the “attitude” of the UK public needs to change to prepare for a military confrontation with Moscow.
The commander-in-chief of the British army is ready to warn Britons that they could be called on to fight for king and country if there is a war with Russia – because the armed forces are “too small” to handle the conflict alone, the Daily Mail reports.
General Sir Patrick Sanders, the Chief of the General Staff, was to stress the need for British ministers to “mobilize the nation” in the event of a wider conflict against Russia amid the Ukraine crisis.
His warning comes almost two years after he said Britain was experiencing its “1937 moment”, referring to the two years leading up to the Second World War, the Daily Mail reports.
Sir Patrick Sanders, who has been a vocal critic of understaffing in Britain’s armed forces, believes there needs to be a “change” in public thinking to be ready to defend the UK against foreign adversaries.
But while the army chief, who retired six months after allegedly falling out with Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the chief of the armed forces, is not believed to support conscription, NATO leaders have warned allies that they are ready to take any necessary action to fight Russia.
However, his warning was a slap in the throat of the government; General Sir Patrick Sanders has previously openly criticized the equipment of the British army and the numbers of its soldiers.
According to The Daily Telegraph, he was due to address ordinary Britons at the International Armored Vehicle Conference in Twickenham on Wednesday.
Last summer, a military leader compared British Army equipment such as the Warrior armored personnel carrier and the Challenger 2 tank to “rotary dial phones in the iPhone era.”
Assessing the Army’s capabilities, the British commander admitted: “Our supply record is poor and our ground industrial base is exhausted. Also, our Army Reserve is not as capable or reliable as it should be.”
He resigned days later after reportedly falling out with the force’s chief, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin.
The introduction of conscription, if it happens, will be the first time in more than 60 years that Britons will have to go to war, notes the Daily Mail.
Conscription was introduced during the First World War after the government passed the Conscription Act in 1916.
The National Service (Armed Forces) Act, passed in 1939 on the day Britain declared war on Germany at the start of World War II, required all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 41 to join the army and fight .
After the end of the Second World War, a new National Service Act was passed which required all young men between the ages of 17 and 21 to serve in the armed forces for 18 months and remain in the reserve for several years.
National service then continued until the last of the servicemen was demobilized in 1963. Opponents could opt out, but had to appear in court to justify their opposition to conscription.
And while conscription in the British armed forces has never returned, the idea of reintroducing national service was mooted as recently as last summer, albeit in a more voluntary form that teenagers could opt out of.
General Sir Patrick Sanders’ warning came as a senior NATO official warned that the West faces all-out war with Moscow within the next two decades – one of several warnings to be issued by senior military leaders and ministers in several member states.
Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty is based on the premise that “an attack against one is an attack against all,” requiring “every other member” of the alliance to take whatever action it deems necessary if attacked by an outside power.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization signed a $1.2 billion contract on Tuesday to produce 220,000 artillery shells for member nations, paving the way for allies to replenish their arsenals and provide Ukraine with additional ammunition.
NATO is also mobilizing around 90,000 troops to take part in war games aimed at sending a signal to Russia not to consider attacking member countries, the Daily Mail reports.
The exercise, called Steadfast Defender, will run until the end of May and will include units from all 31 NATO member states as well as NATO candidate Sweden, said US General Christopher Cavoli, who serves as NATO’s supreme commander in Europe.
Admiral Rob Bauer, a spokesman for the Dutch navy and chairman of NATO’s military committee, said Europe must realize it also has a role to play in the event of a conflict.
He said: “We must understand that it is not a given that we live in peace. And that is why we (NATO forces) are preparing for a conflict with Russia. But the debate is much broader. It’s also the industrial base as well as the people who need to understand that they have a role to play.”
Bauer said large numbers of civilians would need to be mobilized if a global war broke out and governments needed to make sure their countries were “ready for war”.
“We need public and private actors to change their thinking and move from an era where everything was planned, predictable, controlled and focused on efficiency to an era where anything can happen at any time.” An era where we must expect the unexpected,” Admiral Bauer warned.
Meanwhile, Sweden, which is preparing to join the alliance later this year after Turkey’s parliament approved its bid on Tuesday night, has also warned its citizens that it could soon be drawn into all-out war.
Swedish Defense Minister Karl-Oscar Bolin recently said: “The world faces a security prospect with greater risks than at any time since the end of World War II. Are you a private citizen? Have you ever wondered if you have time to join the voluntary defense? If not: act!”
And the head of Norway’s defense ministry has further reinforced growing calls for preparations for war with Russia. Erik Kristoffersen said NATO countries have “two, maybe three” years to prepare for “an attack by Putin’s forces”.
His statement came after secret plans were leaked showing Germany preparing for an attack by Russian troops against NATO as early as 2025.
As the Daily Mail recalls, the regular strength of the British army is just over 75,000, although sources insisted that the number of applications to join the army was the highest for the past six years.
Officials in the UK have resorted to desperate measures to deal with the problem, such as offering £7,500 “golden handshakes” to soldiers transferring to the Parachute Regiment.
However, the Royal Navy struggles to recruit more than the other armed forces, with just 29,000 full-time recruits.
The scale of the military’s manpower crisis became clear earlier this month when it was reported that the Navy was decommissioning two of its warships due to a shortage of sailors.
HMS Westminster and HMS Argyll will be decommissioned later this year, with crew members assigned to work on the new fleet of Type 26 frigates when they come into service.
Since then, there has been tension in the Cabinet over defense spending. Penny Mordaunt, Lord President of the Council and Honorary Commander of the Navy, warned that Britain’s national interests were at risk unless the navy kept pace with hostile nations.
Writing in the Sunday Times, she called for increased investment in the military; Defense Secretary Grant Shapps dismissed her comments as “opinion”.
Penny Mordaunt said: “We need to ask not only how much Russia and China are increasing their fleets, but also why.”
“The future Royal Navy must be able to continue to protect our interests, which are based entirely on the ability to thwart attempts to deny us access to the seas of certain parts of the world.”
Translation: SM
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