British Army Chief Says UK Must be Ready to Fight a Major War in 3 Years

Gen. Roly Walker says the UK faces threats from an 'axis of upheaval'

By Dave DeCamp
Global Research, August 11, 2024
Antiwar.com 24 July 2024
Region:
Theme: ,

The head of the British Army has said the UK must be prepared to fight a major war in three years and hyped up the threat of a global conflict against Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, The Times reported on Tuesday.

Gen. Roly Walker described the four nations as an “axis of upheaval” and warned they have been working closer together, which is a reaction to US and other Western sanctions.

Walker said no matter how the war in Ukraine ended, Russia would still be “very very dangerous” and “wanting some form of retribution” for the West’s support of the proxy war.

“When you think they are down they [Russia] will come roaring back to get their vengeance,” Walker said.

The Times report said that Walker believes he has until 2027 or 2028 to significantly bolster the UK’s fighting power. He wants to double the British military’s ability to “fight and kill” within three years and triple it by the end of the decade.

“We have just enough time … to prepare, act, and assure the re-establishment of credible land forces to support a strategy of deterrence,” Walker said.

The British Army currently has 72,500 troops in its ranks, which, according to the Times, is the smallest it has been since the Napoleonic era. The UK has also significantly depleted its weapons stockpiles by arming Ukraine.

Earlier this year, a British general acknowledged that the UK wouldn’t last more than two months in a direct war with Russia. Other British officials downplayed Russia’s military superiority over the UK, saying if there was a direct war with Russia, NATO would be involved as well.

Walker’s comments reflect a growing view among military leaders in NATO member states that a direct war with Russia will happen in the future despite the risk of nuclear escalation. US military officials have also been openly preparing for a war with China, another nuclear-armed power.

*

Click the share button below to email/forward this article to your friends and colleagues. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter and subscribe to our Telegram Channel. Feel free to repost and share widely Global Research articles.

One Month Before Global Research’s Anniversary

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.

Featured image: British Army Lt. Gen. Sir Charles Roland Vincent Walker, KCB, DSO (U.S. Army photo by Leroy Council / Public Domain)
Articles by: Dave DeCamp

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Centre of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post Global Research articles on community internet sites as long the source and copyright are acknowledged together with a hyperlink to the original Global Research article. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: [email protected]

www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.

For media inquiries: [email protected]