A necessary change of mentality
General Patrick Sanders, the head of the British army, called on his country’s authorities this Wednesday to “mobilize the nation” and prepare for a possible war with Russia, in a conference at the exhibition International Armored Vehicles in London.
Sanders, who is not in favor of compulsory military service, has insisted on the need for a “change” in the mentality of the British to be willing to participate in a war conflict with Russia.
For this reason, he has proposed to the United Kingdom to form a “civilian army” prepared for a land war, at the same time he has criticized the size of his country’s navy and has asked for its updating.
An army of 120,000 is not enough
“In the next three years, it must be plausible to talk about a British navy of 120,000 troops, including our reserve and our strategic reserve. But that is not enough,” he declared. “We will not be exempt and, as a generation before the war, we must prepare in a similar way, and this is a job of the whole nation,” he added. “Ukraine cruelly shows that regular armies start wars; civilian armies win them,” he concluded.
A warning that shocks the United Kingdom
Sanders’ speech has shocked the UK, with a spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying it was “not appropriate” to talk about “hypothetical scenarios” regarding future conflicts. The ruling Conservatives have faced discontent within their own party over a series of cuts to troop numbers.
The UK military chief, however, has followed the line of other military leaders and senior Western defense officials, who have warned of the danger of a major war between Moscow and NATO.