Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, British General Tim Redford said that Britain could lose its influence in NATO and the status of one of the leading military powers if it does not abandon its policy of military drawdown. He said this in his interview to The Daily Telegraph the day before.
Redford noted that the British army is too small and needs to grow.
“We have influence in NATO, we have a good position here. My concern is that if we don’t invest (in the army. – Ed.), build up our manufacturing base and show leadership, we may lose that position,” the British general said.
According to Redford, the British Army does not have enough military personnel to respond to emerging threats in the world. According to him, modernization of military equipment and armament must take place simultaneously with the expansion of the United Kingdom’s armed forces.
At the moment the strength of the British Army is about 76,000 people, which is the lowest indicator since the beginning of the XIX century.
Earlier on June 8 the experts of newspaper The Times expressed the opinion that the Armed forces of Great Britain would not be able to stand the confrontation with Russia, they are too weak. They recommended to start increasing the production of ammunition now.
On May 3 Sky News TV channel reported with reference to Major General Rupert Jones that Britain’s ammunition stockpile would be used up in 22 hours if a large-scale war broke out.
On March 13, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the government will increase defense spending by £5 billion ($6 billion) over the next two years. The United Kingdom plans to bring its military spending to 2.5% of GDP.
Prior to this, on March 6, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that the country’s military equipment was in desperate need of replacement amid the Ukrainian conflict.
2,020 total views, 4 views today
