Second General says UK could not stop Putin
A SECOND senior military figure has warned that Britain is illprepared to defend itself from Russian aggression and has lost its ability to fight a conventional war.
Former Chief of the General Staff Sir Mike Jackson last night tore into the Government’s lack of strategic thinking and mocked Ministry of Defence claims that military budgets were rising.
His intervention follows a leaked memo that highlighted glaring shortcomings in Britain’s military capabilities and branded the Armed Forces ‘withered’ as a result of repeated defence cuts.
In a private letter to Defence Secretary Michael Fallon before he retired in April as head of Joint Forces Command, General Sir Richard Barrons said key capabilities had been stripped out to save money.
He said the Armed Forces had been ‘withered by design’ and there was no plan to defend the UK in a conventional conflict. Gen Sir Richard also said a Russian air campaign would quickly overwhelm Britain, and Royal Navy ships and RAF planes lacked sufficient ammunition, missiles, radars and fire-control systems. Small numbers of hugely expensive equipment pieces, such as the £2 billion aircraft carriers, also made the UK’s military capabilities ‘very fragile’, he said, adding: ‘We operate platforms that we cannot afford to use fully, damage or lose – industry would take years to repair or produce more.’ Gen Sir Mike, 72, the former head of the Army, told The Mail on Sunday last night: ‘I am absolutely in agreement with Sir Richard. He is a four-star officer who is right at the top of the MoD. That tells me that what he is saying should be taken very seriously.
‘The MoD says the defence budget is rising… well, marginally. It also claims it will soon have more troops, ships and planes “at readiness”. We need more troops, ships and planes full stop.
‘There is some new equipment coming into the RAF and the Royal Navy but the quantity really is very small, while the Army is 20 per cent smaller than when I left it ten years ago. The outsourcing of recruitment doesn’t seem to have been a huge success. And this comes at a time when we are facing a more strident Russia. I would also emphasise the lack of strategic thinking. Whitehall does not do military planning.’
The MoD said last night: ‘Our defence review last year put in place a plan for more ships, planes and troops at readiness, alongside greater spending on cyber and Special Forces.
‘That plan was backed by a rising defence budget. And, crucially, it was backed by all of the service chiefs, who were heavily involved in putting it together.’