UK Veterans Minister Alistair Carns said the British Army could be “destroyed” within six months to a year if involved in a conflict of the scale of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Speaking at a conference in London, Carns explained that the current size of the British Army would not be sustainable in a large-scale war. He cited the daily Russian casualties in Ukraine — around 1,500 soldiers killed or injured — suggesting that under similar conditions, British forces would be “expended” within 12 months.
We could not maintain forces in a war of that scale, Carns told the Royal United Services Institute think tank. He emphasized the importance of having a large reserve force, stating that reserves are “absolutely central” to addressing defense needs in such scenarios. Without them, we cannot generate mass or meet the range of defense tasks, he added.
Despite concerns over the Army’s size — which is the smallest since the 1700s — Deputy Chief of the British Defense Staff, Rob Magowan, recently assured that the Army would be ready to fight if needed immediately.
