‘We must be ready to fight war with Russia’
Kremlin threat could mean U-turn for Army
THE HEAD of the British Army has paved the way for a potential U-turn on the decision to pull back troops from Germany owing to the growing threat of Russian aggression.
General Sir Nick Carter highlighted how the Kremlin, in building an increasingly aggressive and expeditionary force, already boasts capabilities the UK would struggle to match.
And he warned that Britain needs to prepare to “fight the war we might have to fight” as he said hostilities from Moscow could be initiated sooner than expected.
Under the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, all British troops in Germany were earmarked for recall back to the UK, with the final units set to leave the county in 2019 and the bases there closed.
But Gen Carter said when it comes to threats, it is important to recognise that “readiness is about speed of recognition, speed of decision-making and speed of assembly”.
He said the Army is testing the ability to deploy over land by using road and rail, but that it is “also important to stress the need for a forward mounting base”.
Gen Carter said: “Therefore we are actively examining the retention of our infrastructure in Germany, where we store our vehicles in Ayrshire Barracks in Rheindahlen, and our training facilities in Sennelager, as well as our heavy equipment transporters that are based there, and our stockpiling and ammunition storage.”
Speaking to a packed room at the Royal United Services Institute in London for his speech last night, Gen Carter also showed a Russian military propaganda video that detailed their vast equipment and ammunition. He said we must accept that the threeminute video is “information warfare at its best” and that it showed the Kremlin has an “eyewatering quantity of capability”.
Gen Carter said “not in any way” does he want to suggest that Russia would go to war in the traditional sense, but that Moscow “could initiate hostilities sooner than we expect”.
He said: “I don’t think it will start with little green men, it will start with something we don’t expect.
“We should not take what we have seen so far as a template for the future.”
Gen Carter also stressed how the UK needs to “prepare ourselves to fight the war we might have to fight”.
He added: “I think it is an important point, because in being prepared to fight the war we might have to fight, there is a sporting chance that we will prevent it from happening.
“And I think the 100th anniversary of World War One gives us the great chance to actually think about what the war might look like.”
The 58-year-old highlighted how Russia has used the conflict in Syria to “develop an expeditionary capability”, giving their officers “high-end war fighting experience” they had not been able to garner in Ukraine.
THE WARNINGS from General Sir Nick Carter, the head of the British Army, about the defence threats facing the nation do need to be studied in a wider political context.
He’s in the running to be the next Chief of the Defence Staff – the country’s top military chief – and the Ministry of Defence is currently at loggerheads with the Treasury over future funding levels.
Yet, while the UK cannot be defended on the cheap despite successive governments choosing to slash manpower, Sir Nick – and others – needs to show far more tactical astuteness if this particular Whitehall battle is to be won.
Just like the NHS, defence is one of those policy spheres where there will never be enough money and it is certainly true that the Trident nuclear deterrent, and new aircraft carriers, are having a significant impact on budgets.
However the more pertinent question, given the legacy of the UK’s military involvement in both Iraq and Afghanistan, is whether Britain still intends to be one of the world’s leading policemen and what are the country’s long-term foreign policy objectives at a time of increased military aggression on the part of the Russians?
In many respects, Britain’s future defence needs can’t be assessed until these questions have been reconciled. Yet, while the rise of Islamist-inspired extremism is continuing to change, and influence, the country’s security needs, Sir Nick – and others – should take the opportunity to be far more pragmatic in their approach to spending.
After all, there’s a strong case that the ring-fenced and mismanaged overseas aid budget could be used to finance Britain’s peacekeeping role around the world, particularly those occasions where the deployment of the Army, Royal Navy and RAF ensure that other nations enjoy the freedoms that are so instrinic to this country’s values. If not, why not?