Army chief warns military is too small as brits could be mobilised for ww3

The head of the British army has warned that the British public could be called up to fight in the event of World War 3 against Russia because the UK’s military is so small. Sir Patrick

Sanders has said British men and women should be prepared to fight Vladimir Putin’s forces if Russia goes to war with NATO. According to the Telegraph, Sir Sanders does not support

conscription but believes a “shift” in the British public’s mindset is needed in order to get more people to sign up. In a speech on Wednesday, he is due to encourage Prime Minister Rishi

Sunak’s government to “mobilise the nation” after years of cuts to the country’s armed forces. Sir Sanders’ comments come as senior NATO officials warned the armed bloc could be in a war

with the country illegally invading Ukraine within the next 20 years. This isn’t the first time Sir Sanders has warned about the impending threat of World War 3 in Europe. In a 2022 speech

soon after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he warned: “This is our 1937 moment. “We are not at war, but must act rapidly so that we aren’t drawn into one through a failure to contain

territorial expansion.” Sir Sander’s comments have echoed those of Defence Secretary Grant Shapps who told the BBC that Britain should be “prepared” for war as tensions escalate in Europe

and the Middle East. In a speech at Lancaster House, Mr Shapps warned about the impact of Britain having a small and ineffective armed forces. The UK Defence Journal reported that he said:

“If our armed forces are not strong enough to deter future aggression from Moscow or Beijing, it will not be a small war to contend with but a major one.” Mr Shapps cautioned: “We find

ourselves at the dawn of this new era – the Berlin Wall a distant memory – and we’ve come full circle, moving from a post-war to pre-war world.” Furthermore, in an effort to boost the number

of people in the armed forces, more than 400 soldiers have been moved to recruitment offices to encourage more people to join and politicians are urged to do more to bolster the military.

Defence Secretary John Healey warned: “On current trends, our army is set for further decline if ministers do not get to grips with their recruitment and retention crisis.” In response to

ongoing criticism, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence defended the state of the UK’s armed forces after successful strikes against Houthi rebels. The spokesperson said: “Whilst there

are undoubted challenges to military recruitment, people are at the heart of the military and the MoD is taking tangible and concrete steps to address shortfalls. More widely, the UK is

spending more than £50 billion on defence this year to protect our interests wherever they are threatened. While the British public may be asked to fight in the future, they aren’t the only

country asking their population to sign up. Countries such as Sweden have also asked the public to join local defence organisations. Sweden’s defence minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said the

world was facing a “security outlook” with more risk than it had seen since the end of World War 2. Mr Bohlin said: “Are you a private individual? Have you considered whether you have time

to join a voluntary defence organisation? If not: get moving!”