Armies decide war's outcomes, head of British Army says in speech outlining future force
The head of the British Army has argued in a speech at a Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) conference that armies "decide outcomes" in conflicts and will continue to do so.
General Sir Roly Walker said at the Rusi Land War Conference that the UK is already embracing new technologies, including drones and AI, to be ready for both today's wars and future conflicts.
The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) outlined the most significant transformation of UK land power in a generation, suggesting that land forces remain important in an increasingly technology-driven theatre.
He argued that land forces are still a decisive instrument for winning wars.
"Only armies seize and hold ground, and only armies remain when wars end," Gen Sir Roly said.
"The Army 'buys' the nation not just the battlefield success in isolation but decisive weight at the point it matters."
Adapting to modern warfare
Following on from the past year of accelerated reform he has led, Gen Sir Roly presented successes before setting out the Army's ambitions to "strike deep, defend forward, and build stronger".
"The Army that adapts fastest – wins. And the deeper change is cultural, not just technological," the CGS said.
He explained how the Army is shifting to a more agile, tech-based model, merging data, AI and autonomy to make sure that the UK Armed Forces can get ahead of adversaries.
"I have been clear to industry: in the future, no crewed platform should ever deploy in future without uncrewed ground vehicles – the utility vehicle of the 21st century," the former commander of the Grenadier Guards added.
20–40–40 fighting system
The Army is moving towards the so-called 20-40-40 fighting system, which is meant to see a fifth of its power delivered through manned heavy equipment like tanks, 40% through "attritable" autonomous items such as drones and 40% through high-volume firepower.
"We must pivot everyone hard to the '20-40-40' fighting system – the three rings of modern lethality," he said.
The Chief of the General Staff said that the UK's influence within Nato depends on the scale and credibility of its contribution, particularly through delivering forces capable of operating at the highest levels of warfighting.
His speech is expected to be followed by a keynote address from the new Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis, who replaced John Healey, who resigned over funding for the long-delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP).
Mr Healey said the DIP was only due to provide £13.5bn extra investment in defence, far short of the £28bn over four years which officials had said was necessary.
Deputy prime minister David Lammy confirmed that the government intends to publish the finalised plan before 7 July, although it is thought that any changes are likely to be to the mix of measures rather than to the overall sum of money.
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