Enlarge image
A British Army Eurofighter Typhoon (in 2021)
Photo: Petros Karadjias / AP
The deputy chief of the British defense staff has called for more funding for the armed forces in the House of Commons. Rob Magowan admitted to the defense committee that the British military would not be able to fight Russia for more than two months in a one-on-one war due to a lack of ammunition and equipment. A report in the Telegraph shows that the high-ranking military sees an "operational risk" in future wars because the British army does not have the equipment that would be necessary.
However, Defense Secretary Grant Shapps insisted that such a conflict would be fought alongside NATO allies - who together could be superior to Russia. Britain would not be alone. Given Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, Great Britain would “never” find itself in the situation of an “exclusive” war with Russia.
Enlarge image
Defense Secretary Grant Shapps on Tuesday
Photo: Tolga Akmen / EPA
According to his own statements, Shapps had previously unsuccessfully lobbied Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt for a higher defense budget in the latest budget. Magowan told MPs: "We have made it very clear that the amount of money we are currently spending on ammunition - which is significant - does not adequately address the threats we face in all areas."
The Defense Committee of the House of Commons had previously found in an investigation that the British armed forces were "increasingly overstretched" and unprepared for a war with Russia - and called for urgent reforms. Magowan, meanwhile, insisted to the committee that Britain was "ready for war" but admitted it was not prepared for a permanent conflict with Russia.
Shapps also pointed out the importance of drones for warfare in view of the war in Ukraine. It was recently announced that Great Britain wanted to lead an international coalition with Latvia to build up Ukraine's drone capabilities.
uh