In order to fortify NATO and counter challenge
Islamabad: General Sir Patrick Sanders, the chief of the British Army, questioned whether the globe was in 1938.
He is not alone in drawing parallels with the past and questioning the current state of Britain’s armed services. Shapps, the British Defence Secretary, reiterated his thoughts in a speech shortly after.
A month later, Admiral Sir Tony Radian, Chief of Defence Staff, appeared to downplay the situation.
Both Sanders and Shapps advocated for major increases in defence budget. Others have urged the British government to move forward with its vow to boost defence expenditure to 2.5% of GDP immediately.
Following Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine, similar requests for increased defence expenditure have been heard across continental Europe. Many European governments have responded, with some even reintroducing some sort of conscription.
The official British government policy, as laid forth in the 2023 Integrated Review Refresh, remains inconsistent. It contends that the world is getting more hazardous, emphasising the immediate threat provided by Russia and international terrorism while taking a more antagonistic stance towards China, regarding it as a medium-term threat.
However, it also procrastinates, promising to raise defence expenditure to 2.5% of GDP only when the economy and government finances are in better shape.
The 75th anniversary of NATO is an opportunity for the United Kingdom to recognise its military capacity gaps and how they impede its commitment to the alliance.
Sanders’ allusion to 1938 recognises that Britain has before faced severe dangers at inappropriate periods. The British appeasement stance of the late 1930s was accompanied with a strong rearmament effort.
As a result, while the armed forces were not yet prepared for war in 1939, they were much better off than they had been a few years prior. The defence industrial base has also been greatly repaired and prepared for the coming world conflict.
Published in
EDP BLOGS on April 03,2024
