The new head of Britain’s army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, addressed all troops informing them of the need to be ready to face Russia on the battlefield in Europe in light of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the BBC reported on Sunday.
Sanders said in an internal message on June 16, seen by the BBC, that that he was the first Chief of the General Staff “since 1941 to take command of the army in the shadow of a land war in Europe involving a major continental power.”
He said: “Russia's invasion of Ukraine underlines our core purpose – to protect the UK and to be ready to fight and win wars on land – and reinforces the requirement to deter Russian aggression with the threat of force.”
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He added: “The world has changed since February 24 and there is now a burning imperative to forge an army capable of fighting alongside our allies and defeating Russia in battle.”
The General stressed that he aims to “accelerate the mobilization and modernization of the army to reinforce NATO and deny Russia the chance to occupy any more of Europe,” adding: “We are the generation that must prepare the army to fight in Europe once again.”
NATO countries and the EU launched a flurry of diplomatic efforts to end the conflict since Russia invaded Ukraine but has achieved little to no progress over a 100 days later.
The West has sent hundreds of millions worth of equipment to support Kyiv’s defenses, but balked at sending troops to fight on the ground in Ukraine for fear of entering into a direct conflict with Russia which is a nuclear power.
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