If Ukraine fails to repel Russian invaders then we're next, ex-Army colonel warns UK military

A retired British Army colonel, famous for his inspirational speech on the eve of battle in Iraq, says the British Armed Forces are not ready to defend against a potential Russian attack.  

Speaking to Trevor Phillips on the Sky News Sunday morning programme, Colonel Tim Collins said: "We are in this country absolutely not ready. Our military is a shadow of itself.

"Two of our biggest assets, the two aircraft carriers, are tied up alongside in Portsmouth when we have a crisis in the Red Sea.

"I think what we have to do is wake up and realise that the battle the Ukrainians are fighting for their liberty through the illegal invasion from Russia, that if they do not win that, we’re next."

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Col Collins, who would go on to be highly critical of the mismanagement of the Iraq War by politicians, said: "We’re not sufficiently supporting the Ukrainians towards the victory that is essential to us as well as them.

"We need to be prepared to defend ourselves, because as Field Marshal Henry Wilson ... once said, it’s useless having an army big enough to invite trouble, but not large enough to do anything about it.

"And that’s where we’re at at the moment, so we’re going to have to up our defence spending and at the same time we’re going to have to increase our support for the people of Ukraine so they can win their victory on our behalf."

He also criticised the Government for renewing the contract of the recruiting system of the Amed Forces, which he argued had "failed miserably".

Recruitment firm Capita, which has a contract to help the Army attract regular and reserve soldiers and officers, had been targeting a total of 9,813 recruits for 2023/24, but has only been able to attract around 5,000 since April last year.

This means the Army has recruited only around half of its April to March annual target of soldiers – with only a few weeks to go to boost the numbers.

However, it is not just the Army that has faced recruitment issues, as Royal Navy recruitment has dropped to its lowest since 2017.