New Chief of the General Staff: British Army needs to be more Special Forces
The newly appointed Chief of the General Staff General Sir Roly Walker has called for the British Army to greatly increase its lethality and become "more Special Forces".
In his first public statement since taking up the position as head of the British Army earlier this month, Gen Sir Roly has stressed the need to strengthen the Armed Forces' warfighting capabilities in the face of real-world threats.
"The only real measurement of an army is its fighting power, its lethality in the face of very real, and converging, threats," said Gen Walker, who took over from General Sir Patrick Sanders.
The Army chief added: "As I prepare to take responsibility for the British Army, I recognise that the thinking and design of the fifth-gen British Army has largely been done and is in delivery. This will continue.
"I absolutely recognise the importance of continuity when it comes to our programme of record.
"In the near term, my challenge to the British Army is to double that lethality in three years and treble it by the end of the decade.
"Now the major hardware systems are in train and I want to make it clear that the four plus one of electronic warfare, uncrewed systems, air defence, long-range fires, plus logistics and stockpiles remain the stars to steer by."
Gen Walker has also called for the Army to be "more like the special forces", inspired by his background with Britain's elite military branch.
He also believes the country should discover new solutions to dealing with threats without always relying on expensive weaponry and brute force.
General Walker has commanded at company, squadron, battle group, brigade, and special forces group levels, variously in Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
He went on: "My focus in the near term will be on making what we've got work even better, essentially the software that exploits the data to turbocharge our modernisation.
"In this way I think we can make huge gains in our ability to sense threats, make decisions and change the facts on the ground to our advantage.
"I am committed to driving UK prosperity through our Land Industrial Strategy.
"I know how powerful the British Army's kitemark is, and I recognise that I have a role in your plans, just as much as you have a central role in the Army's plans.
"Together we can double the British Army's fighting power in three years, defend this nation and help it prosper."
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