- Gen Sir Nick Carter told public Britain may face ‘no alternative’ to wars
- He said future conflicts could not be won by ‘drones and special forces alone’
- It comes as the Army faces cuts of around £400m annually over next three years
The head of the British Army has told the public it is wrong if it believes ‘war is a choice’ following ‘unpopular’ campaigns in the Middle East.
Gen Sir Nick Carter said Britain may have ‘no alternative’ to taking part in future conflicts amid rising tensions between western countries and North Korea.
Speaking at a lecture hosted by the British Commission for Military History, Sir Nick added drones and special forces ‘global robocops’ will not be enough to win wars.
His speech came ahead of a national security review with the armed forces expected to outline where billions of pounds of savings can be made.
Gen Sir Nick Carter, pictured right at a medal awarding ceremony, has told the public Britain may have ‘no alternative’ than to fight in wars in the future and that it is ‘not a choice’
According to the Telegraph, Army bosses fear funding will be diverted from armoured vehicle programmes to the Navy for shipbuilding, the RAF for stealth fighters and into counter terrorism measures including drones.
The paper reported Sir Nick told the lecture there was a ‘reluctance’ to deploy the Army following difficult campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He said: ‘We have not been helped by the unpopular campaigns of the last decade or so.’
The General said future wars could only be won by land forces but added politicians wanted to ‘minimise risks’ and avoid ‘drawn-out’ campaigns.
He added the Army faces uncertainty over funding and recruitment in part due to ‘unpopular’ campaigns such as Afghanistan and Iraq, pictured
On those who claim war is a choice, Sir Nick said they were ‘ignoring Trotsky’s observation that “you may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.”’
The Army is expected to cut around £400million annually from its budget over the next three years and Sir Nick said they face ‘challenges’ in recruitment at the same time.
He said a change in public perception to see soldiers as ‘victims, not heroes’ was also harming recruitment with the Army around 4,000 soldiers below its 82,000 personnel target.
The Ministry of Defence said they had no comment and the General’s words ‘spoke for themselves’.