The head of the British Army has warned that there is “every chance” World War Three could happen soon and once again conflict will hit Europe.
Speaking at an event to mark the D-Day landings, General Sir Patrick Sanders said to prevent war we have to prepare for war and have a “credible, strong armed forces.”
Speaking of the UK’s Armed Forces readiness for war Sir Patrick said, “We are unquestionably more ready but there is more to do.”
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Sir Patrick, 58, said, “There is every prospect, if you look at the pattern of history, that it could happen again … I think the importance of this event is it’s a reminder that preparedness is absolutely critically important and to do things at this scale, there’s a whole-of-nation effort.”
General Sanders is due to leave his post and General Sir Roly Walker, 54, who is ex-SAS will take over as head of the British Army.
General Sanders told The Times, “I think D-Day matters, first of all because we owe it to the veterans who are here present, and everyone who took part, to commemorate, to celebrate what they did.
“For lots of the young it feels like ancient history, but it’s not it happened in people’s lifetime.
“And so warfare on this scale, if that’s within living memory, there is every prospect, if you look at the pattern of history, that it could happen again … I think the importance of this event is it’s a reminder that preparedness is absolutely critically important and to do things at this scale, there’s a whole-of-nation effort.”
He added, “Just two weeks ago, I was visiting our troops over in Poland. That’s 16,000 British soldiers deployed across ten countries in Europe.
“That is the largest deployment the British Army has done with NATO since the 1980s.
“So we are unquestionably more ready, but there is more to do.”
In a paper published by the New Bletchley Network former security chiefs in March warned that the UK must “genuinely prepare for war” to be a credible deterrent.
The former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson and the former national security adviser Lord Sedwill are part of the signees on the published report.
The report warns that both the regular army and the reserves has shrunk “far below national critical mass,” and the government are being urged to reverse this.
The published paper reads, “To be credible in deterrence terms we need to prepare genuinely for war and communicate this to potential foes, NATO and allies, and particularly to the British public.
“British Army credibility has been weakened by 20-plus years of hollowing out and diminished fighting power. Army morale is fragile.”
The former security chiefs are calling for a New Model Army that will turn the British Army into a credible and respected force, which comes after the Defence Secretary Grant Shapps warned that the UK is now in a “pre-war” phase.
The report added, “Our land forces and reserves could be said to have fallen far below national critical mass.
“This must be reversed and the relationship between size and technology must be better understood and articulated.”
