UK Army Could Be Wiped Out in Six Months, Warns Minister
A defence minister has warned that the British army could be wiped out in as little as six months if forced to fight a war on the same scale as Ukraine. Alistair Carns made this warning during a speech at the Royal United Services Institute in London.
According to Mr. Carns, Russia is suffering losses of around 1,500 soldiers per day, killed or wounded, in its invasion of Ukraine. He warned that if the UK army were to suffer similar casualties, it would be “expended” within six to 12 months, even as part of a broader multinational coalition.
The minister emphasized the importance of being able to generate mass and depth rapidly in times of crisis. He said that this requires a strong reserve force, which is critical for meeting defence tasks and challenges. Mr. Carns also noted that wars like those being fought in Ukraine are “attritional in nature”, meaning they can be long and bloody.
The UK government has been investing billions of pounds into defence, but the minister still warned that it needs to catch up with its Nato allies in terms of reserve forces. He said that without a strong reserve force, the country cannot defend itself effectively.
Earlier on Wednesday, Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged Nato’s European members to step up their defence spending ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Mr. Lammy highlighted Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its involvement in other conflicts around the world.
The UK government has yet to set out plans for increasing its defence spending to 2.5% of national output, but Mr. Lammy urged all Nato allies to get serious about defence spending.
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