Senior US General Tells UK Defense Minister That The British Army Is No Longer A Top-Level Fighting Force

 

SKY News: US general warns British Army no longer top-level fighting force, defence sources reveal  

Rishi Sunak risks failing in his role as "wartime prime minister" unless he takes urgent action given the growing security threat posed by Vladimir Putin, it has been warned, with calls for a significant hike in spending. 

A senior US general has privately told Defence Secretary Ben Wallace the British Army is no longer regarded as a top-level fighting force, defence sources have revealed. 

They said this decline in war-fighting capability - following decades of cuts to save money - needed to be reversed faster than planned in the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine.  

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Update: US general warns British Army no longer among world’s top tier fighting forces: report (FOX News)  

WNU Editor: I would love to know who that US General is (General Milley?). 

Some UK pundits disagree with this assessment(see video below). 

 

Britain's Defense Miniser Denies Reports That The Army's Tanks Are Going To Be Scrapped

The Challenger 2 tank has not been upgraded since 1998

The Guardian: Defence secretary denies British army is scrapping tanks

Ben Wallace says older equipment will be shelved, but upgraded vehicles will remain part of armed forces

The defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has denied reports that the British army is to scrap all its tanks.

The Times had reported the modernisation of the army would lead to the end of tanks, saying the cost of maintaining the ageing fleet of vehicles was too high.

But speaking to the BBC during a trip to Qatar, Wallace said: “The idea that tanks won’t be there for the army, upgraded and modernised, is wrong.”

But he said investment in new technology for the armed forces would mean shelving older equipment.

Last month, the Times said the decision to ditch tanks would be made as part of a review into British defence, security and foreign policy which is due to be published in 2021.

It is regarded as the biggest assessment of the country’s foreign policy since the end of the cold war.

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More News On The Defence Secretary Denying Plans To Mothball British Army Tanks

Defence secretary denies plan to mothball British army tanks -- BBC
Defence secretary Ben Wallace responds to rumours Britain will drop Army tanks -- SKY News
British Army not scrapping all tanks in defence review, Ben Wallace insists -- The Independent

British Army's Entire Force Of Hundreds Of Tanks And Armoured Vehicles May Be Scrapped

The Challenger 2 main battle tank, taking part in exercise Saif Sareea 3 in Oman

Daily Mail: The British Army could scrap all its TANKS under a cost-cutting and modernisation plan that would see it switch to focus on cyber-warfare and other 21st century threats

* Ministers considering ditching the 227 Challenger 2 tanks and Warrior vehicles
* Officials are thought to be keen to switch from heavy armour to other assets
* It comes as the forces are anticipating budget cuts to due to coronavirus

The British Army's entire force of hundreds of tanks and armoured vehicles could be scrapped under sweeping modernisation plans.

The UK's Challenger II main battle tanks and Warrior infantry fighting vehicles are said to be at risk because of swingeing budget cuts expected to follow the coronvirus crisis.

The cost of upgrading the heavy armour and a desire to switch military focus to modern threats like cyberwarfare could see the battlefield heavies put out to pasture, little more than 100 years after they were invented.

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WNU Editor: To put it bluntly. I think this idea is a terrible mistake.

More News On Reports That The British Army's Entire Force Of Hundreds Of Tanks And Armoured Vehicles May Be Scrapped

British Army could axe ageing tanks as part of modernisation plans -- BBC
Military chiefs 'considering plans to scrap tanks' in bid to modernise British Army -- Evening Standard
British Army 'could drop tanks in favour of cyber capabilities', says report -- SKY News
No armor, no cry? UK govt reportedly debates SCRAPPING TANKS in favor of hi-tech weapons -- RT

New Proposal Would Decrase The U.K. Army By 20,000

The army could be cut by as many as 20,000 troops under plans drawn up by defence chiefs, it has been reported

The SUN: TROOPS AXED Army to be slashed by 20,000 under new plans by defence chiefs

THE army could be cut by as many as 20,000 troops under plans drawn up by defence chiefs, it has been reported.

The move could slash the size of the army by a quarter, close airfields and remove helicopters out of the service.

Royal Marines commandos could also face an uncertain future under the plans with the brigade disbanded and its artillery, engineers and landing craft all axed in a worst case scenario.

The drastic cuts are being lined up as part of Boris Johnson's defence and security review to be unveiled in the autumn, according to the Sunday Times.

The plans have been drawn up in response to the Treasury's diktak for every Whitehall department to cut spending by at least 5 per cent.

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Update: Army 'to be cut by 20000' if No 10 plan is approved (The Times)

WNU Editor: In the meantime this top British Army commander is saying the ranks are 'full of middle-aged white guys' .... Top British Army commander says the ranks are 'full of middle-aged white guys' and it 'should be doing better' to tackle racism - after soldiers were banned from taking the knee in support of BLM (Daily Mail)

U.K. Army Combat Units Are 40% Below Strength

British soldiers on duty in Afghanistan in 2009. Photograph: Omar Sobhani / Reuters/Reuters

The Guardian: UK army combat units 40% below strength as recruitment plummets

Exclusive: Defence secretary Ben Wallace urged to turn ‘shocking trend’ around as matter of urgency.

Britain faces an army recruitment crisis, with frontline combat units operating as much as 40% below strength, figures obtained by the Guardian reveal.

Data released by the Ministry of Defence under freedom of information laws shows the number of soldiers in the British army’s infantry regiments has declined steadily over the past five years. There are more than 2,500 fewer personnel in frontline units than 2015, and all 16 regular regiments have shortfalls.

The figures have prompted criticism of the outsourcing company Capita, which signed a contract with the MoD to manage recruitment to the armed forces in 2012, for its “shambolic and chaotic” handling of the situation. There have also been calls for the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, to address the crisis urgently.

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WNU Editor: I guess this U.K. military Millennial recruitment campaign failed .... British Army Wants 'Snowflakes, Selfie Addicts, Gamers And Me Me Me Millennials' To Join-Up (January 4, 2019). This also does not help .... Poll: Third Of Britons Do Not Support The Military (June 26, 2019).

British Army Wants 'Snowflakes, Selfie Addicts, Gamers And Me Me Me Millennials' To Join-Up

Daily Mail: Fall in, you ’orrible little snowflakes! British Army's new recruitment drive targets 'me me me millennials, phone zombies and selfie addicts' in bid to make up falling soldier numbers

* New poster campaign appeals to computer game geeks and selfie addicts
* The campaign is said to have cost the Army around £1.5million to put together
* The aim is to sign up millennials with compassion, self belief and focus

What would an old-style sergeant major say? After telling soldiers it was all right to cry, the Army is now seeking recruits from the snowflake generation.

Its new poster campaign appeals to computer game geeks and selfie addicts.

The adverts, unveiled today, are inspired by the famous First World War poster featuring a pointing Lord Kitchener and the slogan ‘Your country needs you’.

Part of a £1.5million recruitment campaign for 2019, they show six soldiers with labels of modern stereotypes, such as ‘phone zombies’ and ‘class clowns’ above the slogan ‘Your Army needs you’.

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WNU Editor: You can see two of their ads below. On a side note, current soldiers are furious with this recruitment campaign .... 'Any f*****, we're desperate!': Furious soldiers take aim at Army's new £1.5m recruitment drive calling on Snowflakes and Phone Zombies (Daily Mail).

More News On The British Army's Recruitment Campaign

Army campaign targets 'snowflake' millennials -- BBC
UK army recruitment ads target 'snowflake' millennials -- The Guardian
British Army targets 'snowflakes, binge gamers and me, me, me millennials' in new recruitment drive -- The Telegraph
British army calling on 'snowflakes,' 'binge gamers' to join -- UPI
British Army recruitment posters target millennial 'phone zombies' and 'selfie addicts' -- ABC News Online
British Army Seeks 'Snow Flakes' And 'Me Me Me Millennials' In New Recruiting Campaign -- NPR
British Army wants ‘millennials’, ‘snowflakes’, 'phone zombies' to pick up rifles and defend country -- FOX News
Army recruiting 'snowflakes': What do people think? -- BBC

U.K Army Instructor Faces Court Martial After Posting A Video Of A Female Recruit Being Reduced To Tears

Photo: Footage posted to Facebook shows the distraught female recruit crying uncontrollably as her British Army instructor subjects her to a torrent of abuse during a bayonet exercise

Daily Mail: Betrayed by her own corporal: Foul-mouthed Army instructor faces court martial after his video of female recruit being reduced to tears is viewed 250,000 times

* The footage posted to Facebook has been liked and shared thousands of times
* It shows the distraught woman sobbing as her instructor shouts abuse at her
* She cries uncontrollably and is reduced to a quivering wreck in disturbing clip
* British Army is now trying to track down the abusive corporal who could be fired

An Army instructor is facing a court martial after he filmed a female recruit and reduced her to tears in a shocking video that has been watched more than 250,000 times online.

Last night furious top brass were trying to track down the corporal, who may be booted out of the Army after using a phone to record the moment he subjected the distraught trainee to a torrent of verbal abuse during a bayonet exercise.

Defence sources said the instructor should not have filmed the recruit during her training, with or without her consent.

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WNU Editor: He should not have posted the video.