UK chief of staff says West should be ready for war in three years
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General Roly Walker claims that the West is facing an "axis of upheaval" with escalating threats from Russia, China, and Iran.
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New recruits to the Ukrainian army undergoing training by UK army specialists at a military base near Manchester, England, Thursday, July 7, 2022 (AP)
The new chief of the British Army General Staff has warned that Britain must be ready to fight a war in three years and double the army's lethality as threats from Russia, China, Iran, and the DPRK escalate.
General Sir Roly Walker, the head of the general staff, told reporters that the West was facing "an axis of upheaval" with rising military ambitions, warning that a conflict with one nation may lead to another detonation elsewhere.
He argued that the UK and its allies must prepare "to deter or fight a war in three years," emphasizing the seriousness due to China's "threat" to Taiwan, Iran's nuclear goals, and Russia's military buildup evidenced by the war in Ukraine.
Walker cited US reports claiming that China's President Xi Jinping had directed military readiness for a potential Taiwan "invasion" by 2027, alongside concerns about Iran potentially violating nuclear agreements and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
In a subsequent speech, Walker stated that he had "a bold ambition" for the army to "double our fighting power in three years and triple by the end of the decade," not with additional resources but by utilizing technology and techniques developed on Ukrainian battlefields, such as drones and AI.
He argued that Russia, China, Iran, and DPRK's independence was growing, citing that they are becoming more supportive of each other with weapons and intelligence.
Walker predicted that it would take "five years to grind their way through" to re-capture the eastern Donbass, costing 1.5 million fatalities, arguing that Russia could recover despite this and may emerge with "a sense of wanting retribution for the support that was given to Ukraine," thus constituting a higher medium-term threat than previously thought.
As the Labour administration has only recently begun a strategic military review following the election, Walker asserted that Britain has an "absolute urgency to restore credible hard power in order to underwrite deterrence."
Leading the review is former NATO Secretary-General George Robertson, who recently claimed that Britain and its allies were facing a "deadly quartet" of China, Russia, Iran, and the DPRK, implying that the four countries have increased their collaboration.
Watson's comments come as the British army is at its smallest size in 300 years, having donated equipment, weapons, and vehicles to Ukraine.
While the Labour administration has pledged to increase defense expenditure from 2.32% of GDP (£64.6 billion) to 2.5%, it has not yet set a definite schedule. Ministers want to review the country's finances before deciding what is feasible, but the Conservatives previously pledged to do so by 2030.
NATO puts over 500,000 troops on high alert: Spox
This comes at a time when more than 500,000 NATO military personnel are currently on high alert, the US-led military bloc's spokesperson, Farah Dakhlallah, confirmed on Sunday.
"Since 2014, NATO has undergone the most significant transformation in our collective defense in a generation," Dakhlallah told CNN.
"We have put in place the most comprehensive defense plans since the Cold War, with currently more than 500,000 troops at high readiness," she indicated.
The announcement follows the Washington Summit Declaration, where NATO leaders confirmed that Ukraine is on an "irreversible path" into the alliance.
The statement emphasized NATO's commitment to isolating Russia, strengthening security on its eastern flank, and increasing military assistance to Ukraine.
Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s Security Council deputy chairman, warned last week that Ukraine’s accession into NATO would be a declaration of war against Russia, pointing out that global catastrophe can only be prevented through the alliance’s prudence.
