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The British Armed Forces would be ready to fight Russian troops on the same night Vladimir Putin’s forces invade a NATO country in Eastern Europe.
This was stated by UK Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Rob Magowan, as quoted by Politico.
Magowan’s comments came in response to questions from lawmakers during a Defence Committee meeting in the House of Commons on Thursday. They asked how many British brigades could be deployed to NATO’s eastern flank in case of a major escalation by Russia.
“If the British Army is asked to fight today, it will fight today,” Magowan stated.
He emphasized that no one in the room should have any illusions about the readiness of British forces.
“If the Russians invaded Eastern Europe tonight, we would face them in that battle,” he added.
NATO’s collective defense principle states that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. Despite Magowan’s firm words, concerns persist regarding the UK’s military capacity in the event of escalation in Europe.
The British Army is currently at its smallest size since the 1700s. Just last month, Defence Secretary John Hill admitted that the state of the armed forces is “much worse than we thought.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Hill announced plans to scrap five military ships and over ten helicopters and drones as part of cost-cutting measures. The UK is conducting a Strategic Defence Review.
On Thursday, Magowan told Parliament that the armed forces face “a range of operational risks and operational strengths” and reiterated the need for “greater lethality.”
On November 21, Defence Secretary Healey described the battlefield situation in Ukraine as difficult, pointing out that the frontline is now “less stable than ever since the early days of the full-scale invasion.”
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