Army chief: Future Transformation comparable to 1930s

The head of the British Army says incoming changes to the service can be compared to the transformations seen in the military leading up to the Second World War.   

Following the publication of the Integrated Review, General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith told the Telegraph the overhaul can be compared to the programme of mechanisation that took place in the UK during the 1930s.

"I think the transformation from mechanisation to digitisation is going to feel much more fundamental, and it is going to fundamentally change how we do business," the Chief of the General Staff told the newspaper.

The changes outlined in the review will see the Army shrink its staffing target by about 10,000 troops by 2025 and the military boost its drone and cyber capabilities.

Gen Carleton-Smith has warned "there is no room for nostalgia" during the changes.

"For our size and scale, if we can get the balance right, what will emerge in the course of this decade is one of the most modernised armies in the world," he said.

The Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood has warned against doing away with conventional military power and Labour has criticised the planned cuts to manpower and certain equipment.

However, the Chief of the General Staff says the Army could be transformed without losing its war-fighting strength and remain a valuable ally. 

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has argued that technological advances meant "greater effect can be delivered by fewer people".