The state of Britain’s armed forces, weakened by decades of cuts, is “much worse than we thought”, Defence Secretary John Healey has revealed.
The comments came as UkraineThe then-military chief warned that Britain and other democracies needed to “wake up” and think about how to protect themselves from another world war – a level of preparedness that would require the whole of society, not just the military, to be ready.
General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who took up his new post as Ukraine’s ambassador to London this month, told a conference in London: “Evil is here and it has come to kill.”
Defence Secretary John Healey. Photo: PA
The two men spoke separately to the British ArmyAnnual conference on land warfare, organised by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank.
Mr Healey touched one in-depth review of defense which the government launched last week, pledging to establish a “new era” for the armed forces.
Noting that “we live in very serious times” with “increasing global threats,” the defense secretary said he wanted to avoid the military’s age-old tactics. Royal Navy And Royal Air Force of quarrels among themselves over limited funds to support pet projects.
“We have to be able to fight, not fight each other,” Mr Healey said.
“I really want to see the old rivalries left behind.”
He continued: “We know that all three services face very serious challenges: depleted forces, wasted supplies, low morale, a recruiting and retention crisis, and veterans who cannot access the services they deserve.”
Mr Healey then revealed, after two weeks in government, that “we now also see that these problems are much worse than we thought”.
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Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Photo: PA
General Zaluzhnyi dismissed from his post as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces by the president Volodymyr Zelensky In February, he also warned the UK and other Western allies about the potential for future global conflict.
Warning about World War III
He recalled that more than 60 million people died in the First and Second World Wars.
“Is humanity ready to accept with serenity the next war in terms of scale and suffering – this time the third world war?” he said in his first public speech since arriving in the UK.
General Zaluzhnyi said Ukrainians should “honestly” share their experiences of 10 years of war with Russiafrom the initial invasion of Crimea in 2014 to full-scale conflict in 2022.
“We need to tell humanity honestly what is happening and what it needs to prepare for,” he said, speaking through a translator.
“Free and democratic nations and their governments must wake up and think about how to protect their citizens and their country.”
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He said war must be avoided but that if it did break out, society must be ready – a position that requires the commitment of the entire nation, not just the armed forces.
“Perhaps the most difficult and important element is the preparation of society, which is based on honest and transparent communication with the government and the people,” General Zaluzhnyi said.
“Society must accept the temporary surrender of a certain number of freedoms for reasons of survival. Modern wars are unfortunately total. [wars]” . “
