UK Military Unable to Sustain Combat with Russia for More Than 2 Months, UK Defense Official Admits
By Business Today
The Deputy Chief of Defense of the United Kingdom, Lieutenant General Rob Magowan, recently made a startling admission – the UK military, a key member of NATO, would not be able to sustain combat with Russia for longer than two months.
Magowan explained that the UK military would have to manage the “operational risk” due to the lack of resources he desired for future conflicts. These remarks came after UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps addressed members of the UK Parliament’s Defense Committee, where he urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt to allocate additional funds for defense in the recent budget, with no guarantees of increased spending.
Speaking to the Defense Committee, Lieutenant General Magowan, a senior officer in the British Army, stated, “We have made it absolutely clear that the amount we are currently spending on ammunition… a very substantial amount… is still not adequate to meet the threats that we face.”
Magowan further emphasized the need for increased spending beyond the confirmed plans, specifically for what he referred to as “integrated air defense missile defense.”
This admission came after former UK Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois asked Magowan, “The United Kingdom couldn’t fight [President] Putin for longer than two months in a full-on war because it doesn’t have the ammunition and reserve equipment to do so, is that correct?” Magowan acknowledged that this statement was entirely accurate.
During the Defense Committee meeting, Defense Secretary Shapps added that any conflict with Russia would be handled together with NATO allies, who have the potential to collectively defeat Russia, rather than the UK acting alone.
Shapps stated, “For those who are watching and thinking that the United Kingdom isn’t ready for a unilateral conflict with Russia, it is important to understand that because we are members of NATO and Article 5 [collective defense agreement] exists, we will never be in that situation.”
The Defense Committee meeting followed an investigation by the UK Parliament’s Defense Committee, which revealed that the UK military was “increasingly overstretched” and ill-prepared for a conflict with Russia.
The investigation found that the UK military would “never reach a state of combat readiness or strategy” without urgent reforms to address recruitment crises and significantly increase the UK’s stockpile of weapons and ammunition.
It is clear that the UK military’s capabilities and readiness for combat are far from ideal when it comes to potential conflicts with Russia. As tensions continue to simmer between the two nations, it is imperative for the UK government to address these shortcomings and prioritize the defense budget accordingly.
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