Coronavirus: 'Mistakes Will Have Been Made' During Outbreak Says Former Army Chief

The former head of the British Army has refused to criticise UK leaders on their handling of COVID-19, drawing parallels between current “uncharted waters" and wartime.

General Lord Richard Dannatt praised the work of UK Armed Forces personnel and the frontline NHS staff they are supporting during the outbreak, but refused to "give marks out of 10" for a government in a situation "nobody had envisaged".

“Mistakes will have been made, things could have been done differently," Lord Dannatt told the PA news agency.

“But I think we’ve got to give as much credit as we can find in our hearts to our leaders who are doing their best in uncharted waters and in very difficult circumstances.

The military will be "privileged and happy" to bolster the UK's response to the virus, he added.

The forces have been involved in a range of efforts on behalf of the NHS, helping to deliver personal protective equipment supplies and the Nightingale hospital project.

A new COVID Support Force has seen 20,000 personnel placed on higher readiness - able to mobilise under Operation Rescript as part of the UK response, or Operation Broadshare overseas.

Lord Dannatt, who served as Chief of the General Staff from 2006 to 2009, went on to address analogies many are drawing between the current crisis and wartime.

“I think the idea of us all pulling together, working together, to get through a difficult period of time, I think that analogy of war is very reasonable,” he said.

“To win a war you’ve got to have a campaign. To win that campaign, you’ve got to be successful in a whole lot of battles.

“And that’s exactly what the Government is trying to do, it’s trying to frame a campaign that will see us all through this.

“So it’s a big team effort to see us through a commonly held dark and difficult period,” he added.

Cover image: PA.