In a recent statement, the newly appointed Chief of the General Staff of the British Army, Roland Walker, emphasized the need for the UK to be prepared for combat within three years. Amid an increasingly volatile world, Walker highlighted a series of threats posed by authoritarian states.
According to Walker, war is not inevitable, and there is still “sufficient time” for the military to prepare and avoid conflict. He unveiled an ambitious reform plan on Tuesday aimed at enhancing the British military’s combat capability to adapt to modern warfare in response to geopolitical threats from countries such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
Walker stressed the urgency for the British military to modernize in order to respond to threats effectively. He outlined a goal for the UK to double its military capabilities by 2027 and triple them by the end of 2030.
“We are not on an inevitable path, but we certainly need to urgently restore credible hard power to maintain deterrence,” Walker said. He described his plan as a “not-war plan” that aims to provide the UK with a military force strong enough to deter adversaries and make them think twice before taking action.
The main threats the UK faces in the coming years, as highlighted by Walker, include the potential retaliation from Russia, China’s ambitions regarding Taiwan, and Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. These threats may intensify over the next three years, particularly since these countries have established closer ties and shared weaponry and technology since the conflict in Ukraine.
While not explicitly calling for increased funding or troop numbers, Walker urged rapid modernization of the British military, focusing on areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and other military technologies. His objective is for the UK forces to be capable of defeating enemies three times their size, with improved shooting speed and range, drawing lessons from the conflict in Ukraine where Ukrainian forces, with Western military support, repelled a much larger Russian force.
Walker proposed the establishment of a “military internet of things” to enable the British forces to perceive threats “twice as far away,” make decisions in “half the time,” and have an impact with “half the ammunition” at twice the distance.
Walker assumed the role of Chief of the General Staff in June. His speech came a week after the UK government initiated a comprehensive review of defense policy to “reassess” the challenges faced by the military.
According to data from the UK Ministry of Defence in April of this year, the British regular military forces consist of 75,325 personnel. In recent years, recruitment shortages have led to a decline in this number. The UK’s current defense expenditure stands at 2.3% of its GDP, with the new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, aiming to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP.
Prior to Walker’s comments, the UK Defence Minister, John Healey, expressed concerns about the state of the British armed forces, describing them as “hollowed out” and warning that the situation of “wasteful procurement and neglect of morale cannot continue.”