(Dan Tri) – Chief of the British Army General Staff Patrick Sanders said that people should be `trained and equipped` to prepare for the scenario of being called upon to deal with Russia.
British soldiers during an exercise in Hampshire (Photo: ISM).
In a speech at the international armored vehicle conference in London on January 24, Chief of the British Army General Staff, General Patrick Sanders, said that the UK must urgently expand the size of the army to about 120,000 troops.
But according to General Sanders, this `is still not enough`.
The British general cited Sweden as a model for Britain to follow, and praised this Nordic country of just over 10 million people for taking `preparatory steps` to put the whole country `in a situation where
`Ukraine is proof that the regular army starts the war, but the people’s army is the force that wins,` General Sanders said.
General Sanders’ statement was considered by many to be a call to arms.
`The British Army has a proud tradition of being a volunteer force. There are no plans to change that. Participating in simulated wars is `not useful`, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said
General Sanders has repeatedly predicted a war with Russia over the past two years.
General Sanders is not an exception in the British defense community.
Previously, German newspaper Bild earlier this month cited a secret document saying that Germany is preparing for a conflict scenario in which Russia conducts an `open attack` on NATO in mid-2025, after
Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, also warned people to prepare for all-out war with Russia in the next 20 years.
The Kremlin has dismissed concerns about the risk of future conflict with the West.