Armed forces are unprepared for Putin’s conflict

Sir, – Given latest sanctions I can’t see Putin quaking in his boots.

To freeze the assets of Gennady Timchenko and two judo partners of Putin, who have already been blacklisted for years, I might add, won’t as they have probably moved their assets already. It’s a bit like bringing a pea-shooter to a gunfight.

So is the UK military ready for a Third World War? I am afraid not, thankfully.

Putin is changing facts on the ground so these measures offer no hope of changing that.

The UK has 76,300 ground troops, 29,960 air personnel and 29,136 naval troops.

The Royal Navy has only 23 major surface fighting ships which include six Type 45

Daring Class guided missile destroyers, designed for anti-aircraft and anti-missile warfare with its wonderful long-range radar system.

Sounds great but all six are in dock between Portsmouth and Liverpool for repair or upgrade.

HMS Diamond will hopefully be ready to sail soon, if fixed, to the Mediterranean in a few days where it can join the US carrier taskforce led by the Harry S Trueman nuclearpowered, 100,000-ton carrier (source RN).

What the Russians fear the most is a naval carrier taskforce.

A US carrier (all are nuclear powered) will always be escorted on the surface by at least five surface fighting ships with at least one guided missile cruiser along with two attack submarines.

There is a minimum of 65 attack aircraft on board.

Britannia stopped ruling the waves after the Battle of Jutland in 1916 with the failure of the dreadnought battleships.

The day after Pearl Harbor in 1941 the US asked Churchill if they could borrow an aircraft carrier for the Pacific.

One, HMS Indomitable, was in the West Indies at that time but had run aground on a coral reef so the request was declined.

The famous Taskforce Z comprising the battleships Prince of Wales and Repulse sent to Asia were subsequently sunk by the Japanese the following day off Singapore. No air cover.

Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood correctly stated recently the UK Navy needs more ships; scrapping many, then building fewer has been the wrong policy for years.

Wonder what happened to the Tory promise of a frigate factory on the Clyde?

So we have form at the time of war for underestimating the enemy so even supporting Nato at this time will be limited.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace foolishly said Putin is having a “tonto moment”, which sums up the lack of intelligence of the MOD.

Scary stuff.