The UK is not currently prepared for a "full-scale" war, the head of the British Armed Forces has starkly admitted. Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton pointed to decades of enjoying a Cold War "peace dividend" and constrained defence budgets as key reasons for the shortfall.
A Legacy of Unreadiness
In a sobering testimony to the cross-party Defence Committee, the Chief of the Defence Staff stated that for the last 30 years since the end of the Cold War, the UK has not been ready for a major conflict. "We have taken a peace dividend and we are not as ready as we need to be for a kind of full-scale conflict that we might face," Sir Richard said.
He acknowledged that the defence budget is receiving its largest sustained increase he has known, rising from £62.2 billion this year to an additional £11 billion by 2027. However, he argued that the need to rapidly adapt to new threats, such as preparations to potentially deploy troops to Ukraine, places intense pressure on finite resources.
The Russian Factor and a Narrowing Window
The senior military leader suggested that the UK may have a critical window to rebuild its readiness, as Russia is currently "fixed in Ukraine". He highlighted the enormous toll on Russian forces, citing estimates of over 1.4 million casualties and up to 400,000 deaths this year alone.
"The risk position changes over time and our job is to ensure that our forces are as ready as they can be," Sir Richard stated. He emphasised that the ultimate goal is to deter principal adversaries by being prepared to fight and win, which requires modernising and transforming the armed forces.
When pressed by Labour MP and former Royal Marine officer Fred Thomas on whether the government would fund defence sufficiently to be ready for full-scale combat in the coming years, Sir Richard offered a candid response. "I'll be completely honest with you that we will not be able to do everything that we wish to do as quickly as we might want to," he admitted.
Budgetary Challenges and Recruitment Woes
The Air Chief Marshal refused to comment on speculation of a £28 billion defence funding shortfall, describing it as mere conjecture. His role, he said, is to advise ministers on rebuilding the armed forces with the money provided and to make them understand the consequences of their budgetary decisions.
This stark warning comes as the UK military undergoes a significant overhaul to address growing global threats from nations like Russia and China. The effort is hampered by severe and ongoing difficulties in recruiting and retaining troops, a crisis that further complicates the path to readiness.
Sir Richard, a veteran RAF officer who joined the service in 1988, concluded that while more immediate funding would "make a difference," the nation must be realistic about the threats it faces. The race is now on to prepare Britain's armed forces for a high-intensity conflict, a task that will define the nation's security for years to come.
