The head of Britain’s armed forces Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton warned ‘more families will know what sacrifice for our nation means’ as he spoke of the rising threat from Vladimir Putin
Britain’s top military chief has warned tonight that the nation’s ‘son’s and daughters’ need to be ready to fight in a war with Russia.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, head of the UK’s armed forces, said he wanted to honest with “families and households” about the rising threat facing the country – and that they may soon have to learn what “sacrifice for our nation means”.
The whole of society would need to be called upon should Russia turn its guns from Ukraine to the rest of Europe, said the Chief of the Defence Staff, with the British Army’s headcount of just over 70,000 soldiers currently dwarfed by Vladimir Putin’s 1.1 million-strong forces.
He said that while there remained a “remote” chance of Russia launching a “significant direct attack or invasion” against Britain, this “does not mean the chances are zero” and that the likelihood was rising, not falling.
In a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank this evening, Air Chf Mshl Sir Richard Knighton said: “The situation is more dangerous than I have known during my career, and the price of peace is rising.”
“Our response needs to go beyond simply strengthening our armed forces.
“It needs a whole of nation response that builds our defence industrial capacity, grows the skills we need, harnesses the power of the institutions we will need in wartime and ensures and increases the resilience of society and the infrastructure that supports it.”
“Sons and daughters. Colleagues. Veterans… will all have a role to play. To build. To serve. And if necessary, to fight. And more families will know what sacrifice for our nation means.”
“It means more people being ready to fight for their country,” said the Air Chief Marshal, adding that he wished to contribute to the debate started by his French counterpart Fabien Mandon Chief of the Defence Staff, who sparked outrage last month when he said his country must be prepared to “lose its children” should war come with Russia.
Britain’s Chief of Defence staff said while regular forces would be set grow under current plans, officials were also aiming for “a major increase” in the number of active reserves and cadets.
He announced £50 million in new funding for new Defence Technical Excellence Colleges to help defence employers train up staff.
Earlier this year, the Government announced that UK defence and security spending would rise to 5% of GDP by 2035 at the latest.
It comes after Nato secretary general Mark Rutte warned last week that Europe was “Russia’s next target” and said allies should prepare for a “scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured”.
