Colonel Alistair Carnes, a former Marine, noted that in the event of a war with Russia, the British army would be at risk of significant losses for about a year or six months.
Transmits UNN with reference to Telegraph.
Speaking at a conference on reserves, the British Minister for Veterans Affairs, said: “In a large-scale war, not a limited intervention, but one such as the one in Ukraine, our army, for example, at current casualty rates, would be spent, as part of a wider multinational coalition, in six months or a year.
The British army currently has 72,510 soldiers, the smallest number since the time of Napoleon.
However, Col. Karnes said: “That doesn't mean we need a bigger army, but it does mean you need to build up depth and mass quickly in the event of a crisis.
“Reserves are critical, absolutely central to this process. Without them, we will not be able to create a mass, we will not be able to fulfill many defense tasks.
Many will see the minister's comments as disturbing after General Sir Roland Walker, the Chief of the General Staff, warned in the summer that the UK should be ready for a major war in three years.
He said the army must modernize rapidly to double its combat power by 2027 and triple it by the end of the decade.
To recap
Minister Sibiga revealed three new realities of Russian aggression: the involvement of the DPRK military, attacks on nuclear facilities and an experimental ballistic missile strike on the Dnipro River. Russia continues to escalate the conflict.
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