In the midst of the war in Ukraine, which has been lasting for four months already, the new chief of the British army has told his troops that they must „prepare to fight in Europe once again„.

General Sir Patrick Sanders took up his position on the 20th of June. As BBC reports, he addressed all ranks and civil servants in an internal message and warned his subordinates about the challenges posed by the situation in Eastern Europe. 

He urged his troops to “be ready to protect the UK and be ready to fight and win wars on land” and that there is a „burning imperative to forge an army capable of fighting alongside our allies and defeating Russia in battle.”

During his speech, General Sanders described himself as „the first Chief of the General Staff since 1941 to take command of the army in the shadow of a land war in Europe involving a continental power.„

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This statement follows Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last Friday in Kyiv. „I am afraid that we need to steel ourselves for a long war, as Putin resorts to a campaign of attrition, trying to grind down Ukraine by sheer brutality” – Johnson wrote in The Times on his way back.

General Adrian Bradshaw, former Commander of the British Special Forces, told the BBC that he agrees with General Sanders’ point of view. „Yes, he [General Sanders – editor’s note] is absolutely right. The point is that by preparing for war properly, building really strong deterrents, we are able to prevent the outbreak of war” – he stated. 

It is worth mentioning that the current size of the British army is historically low. It has actually not been so small for the last two centuries. What’s more, the UK army (counting 76.5 thousand soldiers) was – until recently – about to be cut down to 75,000. 

Image: British Army

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen