Putin invaded Ukraine because the West’s military is weak – and he’s right

An illegal invasion of Ukraine, especially when Russia is involved, shows that defense capabilities cannot be jeopardized. Putin invaded Ukraine because he thought the West was weak militarily and politically, and he was right.

For the past few years all the talk in Westminster and Whitehall has been about cutting the number of soldiers and tanks.Cyber ​​and space technology is clearly the answer.But as the Ukraine war shows, on a large scale Good armor and soldiers have their own qualities.

You still need boots on the ground to grab and hold the ground. There is no amount of cyber magic that can reproduce this. Drones cannot hold territory. The cost of living crisis we are experiencing would not have been halved without the war in Ukraine.

Rarely do I agree with Labor on rebuilding a viable defense force for 2021^st Century is one of the things they do right. While some public sector employees go on strike for more money, the British military is filling the gap they left and during the Covid epidemic which has little to do with protecting this country. The “heavy duty” needed to deter someone like Putin while building the Nightingale Hospital and conducting counterinsurgency and special forces operations around the world. It is now clear that metal has been allowed to rust in tank sheds.

We must rebuild our military and develop our domestic defense industry. Britain has a great defense industry, but this is sometimes overlooked by governments wanting to save a few pounds on foreign-made equipment. If we continue to donate equipment and ammunition to Ukraine, we need to develop our domestic industry to sustain our own forces and replenish our ammunition in the future.

In terms of equipment, armor capabilities, tanks, armored fighting vehicles, and artillery seem to need the most updates. Challenger 2 tanks should be prioritized for upgrades or replaced with completely new tanks. Ammunition stocks are difficult to estimate, but some commentators suggest that stocks may only last for a few days. Whatever the state, it is clear that ammunition stockpiles must be replenished. Procurers of government military kits need to understand that today’s companies can’t afford to keep inventory “on the shelf” just in case, and military supply strategies must recognize this immediately. must be

To rebalance and renew our defenses, we need to be prepared to increase defense spending to at least 2.5%, or around 3% of GDP. If the Germans, a defense nation, can understand that at least 3% are at least 3%, can Westminster leaders understand the same? Opposing arms to Ukraine and critical of NATO If a party like Jeremy Corbyn could decide that America should spend more on defense, have we been sorely mistaken since the end of the Cold War?

We are really in trouble if Ukraine is not a wake-up call to remind everyone that the government’s first duty is to properly protect the nation. We still have the best fighting men and women in the world at pound-for-pound, but for now, this lightweight ability can be challenged against heavyweight opponents.

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon is a former British commander and commander of NATO’s chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear forces.