General Sir Patrick Sanders thanks soldiers for 'adventure of a lifetime' in farewell video
"So this is it".
General Sir Patrick Sanders has bid farewell to British Army soldiers in a final video message – marking that his "watch is ended" with General Sir Roly Walker taking over as the next head of the British Army.
He is leaving behind an Army career spanning almost four decades and made sure to praise all the regular, reserves and civil servants for "all you have done for our Army".
The former chief of the general staff recapped what the Army set out to do and what it had achieved during his time in the role.
Gen Sir Patrick talked of assuming his role in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and how he talked about the need to mobilise to deter Russia and the need to start laying the foundations for modernisation.
He stressed the importance of being able to "fight and win wars on land".
"What have we done? Well, first and foremost, we have a crystal clear sense of purpose that has been routinely and rightly played back to me. We fight and win wars on land," Gen Sir Patrick said.
He added: "We have world-class, peer-reviewed conceptual foundations that are more right than wrong and are profoundly influencing how all armies think about warfare."
However, Gen Sir Patrick said it was imperative that with today's Army being mobilised with the field armies, there was a "need to rebalance, creating space for modernisation".
He highlighted how the Army's ability to mobilise in the face of the Russian invasion and help Ukraine "should be seen as a badge of honour".
Gen Sir Patrick took charge of the British Army in June 2022 after three years of leading Strategic Command.
Before that, he had commanded operations in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Gen Sir Patrick said he was "thrilled" to hand over an Army that "matched its 10-year export targets in year one".
He added: "We continue to improve our culture ruthlessly and unapologeticaly focusing on fighting power as the only important measurement of an Army.
"But as I hand over, the urgency and imperative of modernisation is even more acute, the trends and drivers for conflict are converging, global crises are at risk of escalating and are increasingly interdependent.
"We cannot fight alone. We will always support a joint force, allies and partners. But we know the people live on the land, and land is where human affairs are suffering."
When reflecting on his close to 40 years in uniform, he said he was "most proud of the British Army's contribution to social mobility".
To conclude his speech to his soldiers, he quoted Winston Churchill, who once said "you make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give".
Gen Sir Patrick added: "What I found is that the Army, you have given so much power, more than I've deserved or asked for.
"So let me finish what I started by offering my heartfelt thanks. Thank you for your selfless commitment, your loyalty, your trust, your forbearance with my inevitable mistakes.
"I thank you for the adventure of a lifetime.
"Edith Hamilton said that the richness of life is found in its hazards. She's right. If I could start again and hunt down the hazards of the next 40 years I'd do so in a heartbeat.
"Right here in this brilliant Army to which I owe so much. Thank you and Godspeed."
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