Britain faces a triple threat from Russia, China and Iran, the head of the army says (Image: Getty)
Britain’s new army chief has warned the country has just three years to prepare for war in a world which looks “increasingly volatile”. General Sir Roland Walker said he wants to double the British Army’s fighting power by 2027 and triple it by the end of the 2020s.
In his first speech in the role, General Walker said Britain faces an “axis of upheaval”, with Russia possibly seeking revenge on the West over its support for UKraine; China intent on re-taking Taiwan and Iran’s likely pursuit of nuclear weapons.
On Russia, General Walker said: “It doesn’t matter how it ends. I think Russia will emerge from it probably weaker objectively – or absolutely – but still very, very dangerous and wanting some form of retribution for what we have done to help Ukraine.”
The army chief warned that in the next three years the threats posed by Russia, China and Iran may become acute as they share weapons and technology in a “mutual transactional relationship”.
He called for the Army to quickly modernise through Artificial Intelligence and firepower, rather than boosting numbers from the force’s 70,000 regular troops.
General Sir Roland Walker (Image: Getty)
Numbers have fallen over recent years, with 75,325 members of the regular Army, according to Ministry of Defence figures from April 2024.
Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Sir Tony Radakin on Tuesday (July 23) identified “deficiencies” in personnel, training, technology and stockpiles of munitions.
But he said the “near-term financial challenges” are being addressed and he wants an Army which can “push the boundaries of technology and lethality”.
The Government has ordered a root-and-branch defence review as it considers how to learn the lessons from the war in Ukraine and respond to a world in which Russia is working more closely with China, Iran and North Korea.
Sir Keir Starmer‘s administration has committed to increase defence spending to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product, but has failed to say when it will meet that ambition.
Russia, China and Iran represent an ‘axis of upheaval’, General Sir Roland Walker says (Image: Getty)
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Addressing the Royal United Services Institute’s land warfare conference, Admiral Sir Tony said: “There are near-term financial challenges to work through.
“We’re addressing historic underinvestment and beneath the headline capabilities there are deficiencies in people equipment, stockpiles, training and technology.
“We need the humility to recognise that we’re not as strong as we could be. And then the determination and focus to put this right.”
The CDS said he wants to learn from Ukraine‘s response to Russian president Vladimir Putin, with its armed forces able to take on Russia‘s Black Sea fleet without a substantial navy of its own.
He said: “I want a British Army that can follow suit to become an Army that can hold Russia at risk if SACEUR (NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe) sees that necessity.
“An Army equipped with hypersonic missiles and battalions of one-way attack drones, an Army that serves as a disruptor in Nato, challenging the alliance to push the boundaries of technology and lethality.”