British Chief of General Staff: West should be ready for war in three years

The new Chief of the British General Staff warned that, given the increasing threat from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, Britain must be prepared to wage war in three years and double the strength of its army.

Chief of the General Staff Sir Roly Walker told reporters the West was facing an “axis of change” with rising military ambitions and warned that a conflict with one nation could lead to another detonation elsewhere.

He argued that Britain and its allies must prepare to “prevent or wage war within three years,” stressing the seriousness of the situation due to the “threat” to Taiwan from China, Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the Russian military buildup reflected in the war in Ukraine.

Walker cited US reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered military readiness for a possible “invasion” of Taiwan by 2027. There are also fears that Iran could violate the nuclear agreement and also because of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

In a subsequent speech, Walker said he had a “bold ambition” for the Army to “double our combat power in three years and triple it by the end of the decade” – not through additional resources, but through the use of technologies and techniques developed on Ukrainian battlefields, such as drones and artificial intelligence.

He argued that Russia, China, Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea were becoming increasingly independent, and that they were increasingly supporting each other with weapons and intelligence.

Walker predicted it would take “five years of fighting” to retake eastern Donbass, with a death toll of 1.5 million. He argued that despite this development, Russia could recover and potentially emerge from the situation “with a desire for retribution for the support it has given Ukraine”, posing a greater threat in the medium term than previously thought.

With the Labour government having only recently begun a strategic review of its armed forces after the election, Walker stressed that it was “absolutely urgent” for Britain to restore credible hard power to ensure deterrence.

The inquiry is led by 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 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, implying that the four countries had increased their cooperation.

Watson’s comments come as the British Army has reached its lowest level in 300 years following the donation of equipment, weapons and vehicles to Ukraine.

While the Labour government has promised to increase defence spending from 2.32 per cent of GDP (£64.6 billion) to 2.5 per cent, it has not yet set out a concrete timetable for doing so. Ministers want to review the country’s finances before deciding what is feasible, but the Conservatives had previously promised to do so by 2030.

NATO puts over 500,000 soldiers on alert: Spox

This comes at a time when more than 500,000 NATO troops are currently on high alert, the spokeswoman for the US-led military bloc, Farah Dakhlallah, confirmed on Sunday.

“Since 2014, NATO has undergone the most significant transformation of our collective defence in a generation,” said Dakhlallah ^ “CNN: The Secret World”.

“We have implemented the most comprehensive defense plans since the Cold War and currently have more than 500,000 troops in high readiness,” she said.

The announcement followed the summit declaration in Washington in which NATO leaders confirmed that Ukraine was on an “irreversible path” to joining the alliance.

The statement stressed NATO’s determination to isolate Russia, strengthen security on its eastern flank and expand military support to Ukraine.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, warned last week that Ukraine’s accession to NATO would be tantamount to a declaration of war on Russia, pointing out that only the alliance’s prudence could prevent a global catastrophe.