Should the British prepare for war? The troubling question was posed directly by Army Chief of Staff General Patrick Sanders a few days ago. Britain should form a “citizen army” in the event of open conflict between the Atlantic alliance and Russia, a senior officer suggested during a speech in London on January 24, Le Monde reported, citing Rador Radio Romania.

The statement by the reserve general (he will retire next summer) sparked an unprecedented debate in a country that ended conscription in 1960.

Britain should follow Sweden’s lead and take “preparatory steps to put our societies on a war footing”, Sir Patrick Sanders said. Such actions are “not only desirable, but also necessary,” he added. Sweden has just reintroduced conscription.

Downing Street denied that such a scenario was considered, calling it “hypothetical”. The British Ministry of Defense also distanced itself from the general’s comments, pointing to the British military’s “long tradition of volunteerism.”

Despite these objections, General Sanders’ alarming remarks were echoed by Richard Shirreff, a former NATO deputy commander, who believed it was time to “think about the unthinkable” and “look carefully at conscription, even if (…) it goes against the culture of the British Army, which traditionally consists of professionals”.

A return to conscription “should not be ruled out”, according to retired colonel Tim Collins, as does Penny Mordaunt, the current leader of the House of Commons and former defense secretary, who on January 30 supported the idea of ​​creating a “civilian army”. defense forces”.

On a less serious, but no less combative note, even former Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was ready to join. “Sign up to protect my king and country? Yes, live!” – he claimed in a weekly column for the Daily Mail.

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Difficulties in recruiting personnel

A few weeks before Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s budget presentation and a few months before the general election, such a statement is not without ulterior motives. The debate comes as the UK spends 2.1% of its gross domestic product on defense and Defense Secretary Grant Shepps says he wants to increase that to 2.5% of GDP “as soon as possible”, but without ties to the deadline.

“Sir Patrick Sanders points to a contradiction: if, as the Defense Secretary admits, the world has become more dangerous and Western democracies are facing aggressive regimes, why not react immediately? Because our armed forces have been severely weakened and are unable to deal with these new threats,” sums up Andrew Dorman, a security expert at King’s College London.

Because, according to experts, the state of the British armed forces is worrying. “The armed forces are struggling to recruit and retain personnel and their equipment is aging,” Mr Dorman said. The recruitment process has been outsourced and is not efficient enough. Many people leave the army because of insufficient pay, as well as because of the deplorable condition of their families’ housing. Over the past fifteen years, there have not been enough investments,” the professor adds.

The strength of the army as of October 1, 2023 was 73,520 servicemen, which is 3.2% less than last year. At this rate, that number could fall below 70,000 by 2025. The number of reservists (volunteers aged 18 to 43) also fell to 33,010 personnel as of October 1, 2023, down 5.2% year-on-year. For Lord Peter Ricketts, David Cameron’s former security adviser and UK representative to NATO, “investment in recent years has focused on the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force rather than the Army, while the war in Ukraine shows how important the infantry remains “.

“The army is as small as in Napoleon’s time”

Even the prestigious Royal Navy is struggling with recruitment: in 2023, the target was to recruit around 2,700 sailors, but only 2,000 candidates answered the call. The shortage of skills and personnel is so acute that the Ministry of Defense is considering decommissioning two ships (Westminster and Argyll) so that sailors can transfer to the new frigates, according to reports in the Daily Telegraph in early January. With 70 ships, including two aircraft carriers (Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales) and six destroyers, the British fleet has continued to shrink since the 1960s.

Its capabilities are currently being tested in the Red Sea, where the United Kingdom has deployed the Diamond destroyer and engaged in several targeted strikes against Houthi militias in support of the United States to secure maritime trade.

Although Diamond is one of the crown jewels, it was developed in the late 1990s, before the age of drones, “and the British fighter jets flying out of Cyprus to hit the Houthis are the same ones operating for NATO in Black So thus, naval or monitor Syria is under intense pressure,” insists Andrew Dorman.

“Over the last 13 years, Tory ministers have cut budgets so much that we have an army as small as Napoleon’s,” laments John Healy, Labour’s shadow secretary of state for defence. Healy has promised to “rearm” Britain and aims to strengthen military cooperation with France and Germany if Labor is returned to power at the next general election (by the end of 2024), but refrained from giving too much detail for now.

“Sir Patrick Sanders has started a healthy debate, but the government does not want to scare the British people in an election year and the British people are not ready to hear such a speech because they feel they are still living safely on the fringes of the west. Europe. It will take an electric shock like the election of Donald Trump to change our minds,” said Lord Peter Ricketts.

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