Following the chief of the British Army’s remarks that UK citizens might need to be “trained and equipped” to fight in a future conflict with Russia, Professor Michael Clarke made the remarks.
Following the chief of the British Army’s declaration that UK citizens ought to be “trained and equipped” to fight in a hypothetical conflict between NATO and Vladimir Putin’s forces, Professor Michael Clarke made the remarks.
Many have questioned whether General Sir Patrick Sanders’s comments suggested that conscription would be necessary in the event that the UK and its NATO allies end up fighting Russia.
During his speech at the International Armoured Vehicles conference in west London, Sir Patrick stated that the UK needs to immediately increase the size of its army from its current 74,000 soldiers to approximately 120,000 within three years.
Professor Clarke stated on the Sky News Daily podcast that conscription is not the same as having a “citizen army” back in the UK.
“What Sir Patrick is saying is that we’ll have to return to larger forces,” he said. It will require a citizen army, but it will likely need to be a volunteer citizen army similar to the one we’ve had in the past and will likely need in the future.”
