The entire British Army would be wiped out in ‘six months to a year’ during a major war, the nation’s veterans minister has chillingly warned.
Alistair Carns, who won the Military Cross for gallantry on special forces operations, issued the bleak assessment as he stressed the importance of building up Britain’s military reserve forces.
The MP’s warning came as he highlighted the huge numbers of Russian soldiers being slaughtered in Ukraine.
The veterans minister, who is also a reservist, said around 1,500 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded every day. The highest reported total in a single day is around 2,000.
Mr Carns claimed the ability for Russia to be able to absorb such savage losses and continue with his invasion of Ukraine was part of Putin’s plan, which is why Britain must boost its number of full-time professional soldiers and widen its pool of part-time reservists.
‘In a war of scale – not a limited intervention, but one similar to Ukraine – our army for example on the current casualty rates would be expended – as part of a broader multinational coalition – in six months to a year,’ Mr Carns reported said in a speech at a conference on reserves at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London.
Mr Carns, a former full time Royal Marine Colonel until he switched his military career for one in politics, noted that Russia would soon be moving onto its third army in Ukraine, having conscripted tens of thousands of troops into its war effort.
‘That doesn’t mean we need a bigger army, but it does mean you need to generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis,’ Mr Carns said.
The entire British Army would be wiped out in ‘six months to a year’ in a major war, veterans minister Alistair Carns has warned (pictured are members of the Welsh Guards in Wiltshire)
A serviceman of the 24th Mechanized Brigade fires his weapon in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, on November 29 2024
Pictured is veterans minister Alistair Carns, who said Britain must invest in its reserve forces
‘The reserves are critical, absolutely central, to that process. Without them we cannot generate mass, we cannot meet the plethora of defence tasks.’
The British Army has shrunk to its smallest size in more than 200 years, with figures this year showing there were just 72,510 full-time, trained soldiers ready for deployment.
It comes after Ben Wallace, the former defence secretary, announced in 2021 the Army would be cut to 72,500 personnel by 2025, scrapping the 82,000 target which had been set in 2015.
Meanwhile, government figures show there are 24,068 reservists in the Army – which is 20 per cent off its 2019 target of 30,000 set back in 2016.
Britain has underinvested in its reserve forces, which have shrunk dramatically over the years.
At the end of the Cold War, the ‘Territorial Army’, as it was known, had a trained strength of almost 73,000 soldiers. And by the end of the Second World War, more than a one million army reservists had been called to fight.
Limited funding has seen governments prioritising cash for the full-time army, Royal Navy and RAF.
But this has led to reserves being undermanned, with part-time troops historically lacking basic equipment like body armour, weapons and vehicles and not receiving the training they need.
The British Army has shrunk to its smallest size in more than 200 years. Pictured is a British soldier on exercise
Figures show Britain has just 72,510 full-time, trained soldiers ready for deployment (file image)
Military top brass often claim war is started by professional armies but ended by civilians – who join the fight as volunteers or reservists as has happened in Ukraine.
Mr Carns noted that Russia would soon be moving onto its third army in Ukraine having sustained heavy losses following more than 1,000 days of full-scale war.
‘That doesn’t mean we need a bigger army, but it does mean you need to generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis,” Mr Carns said. ‘
‘The reserves are critical, absolutely central, to that process. Without them we cannot generate mass, we cannot meet the plethora of defence tasks.’
Reservists train in their own time, often attending evening or weekend sessions, or two-week annual courses.
Britain also has a ‘strategic reserve’, which comprises of all former service personnel for a set period after they leave the regular military.
Previously this pool of troops – which can be called upon in the event of a war – used to train annually during the Cold War, with the Ministry of Defence keeping track of who was in the strategic reserve and where the lived.
Ukrainian soldier during infantry training in a building at an undetermined location in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on December 2, 2024
However, this training ceased after the Cold War. Now the MoD does not necessarily know who or where everyone in the strategic reserve is based, reports Sky News.
Mr Carns said Britain needed to catch up with its Nato allies and ‘place a greater emphasis’ on reserve forces.
He added ‘we need to grow our active reserve’ to respond ‘at short notice’.
It comes amid fears Britain could be dragged into war with Russia, should the war in Ukraine escalate.
Last night it was reported that Britain and France were considering deploying troops to Ukraine to monitor a ceasefire deal should one be agreed between Kyiv and Moscow.
Paris and London are preparing options for a range of situations that could unfold in Ukraine, an anonymous senior Nato official told Radio Free Europe.
One option would involve sending a task force of soldiers to the contact line to enforce an armistice.
These discussions are taking place between national governments and not within Nato structures, the official added.
In a statement last night, an MoD spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘The UK’s armed forces are amongst the best in the world and offer a 24/7 defence of the UK, operating alongside our allies and partners to prepare for any event.
‘The Strategic Defence Review will look at the threats we face and the capabilities we need so that our Armed Forces are better ready to fight, more integrated and more innovative.
‘Our reserves are an essential and extremely valued element of the armed forces and the contributions they make to our resilience and our ability to call on additional personnel when required are vital.’
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