The UK should recruit more soldiers in light of the Ukraine and Syria crises and station an extra 3,000 troops in Germany, the former head of the Army has said.
Lord Dannatt said boosting troops would signify that "Britain takes its defence responsibilities seriously".
Amid Nato concerns over Russian forces in Crimea, he said the West must not be "weak in resolve and muscle".
He made his comments in The Daily Telegraph.
Lord Dannatt, who was chief of the general staff between 2006 and 2008, warned that despite the "war-weariness and war-wariness" felt by the UK, recent international developments had shown "strategic shocks happen".
"While there is neither the logic nor appetite for intervention in Syria, nor a treaty obligation requiring military intervention in Ukraine, both situations are stark reminders of how the strategic landscape can change," he wrote.
'Challenging' landscapeEnd Quote Lord DannattWith a resurgent Russia, this is a poor moment for the US-led West to be weak in resolve and muscle"
Nato's military commander in Europe said Russian forces at the Ukrainian border were "very, very sizeable and very, very ready".
Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen Philip Breedlove expressed specific concerns about the threat to Moldova's Trans-Dniester region.
The build-up has been linked to Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, following the removal of Ukraine's pro-Moscow president. Russia said its forces east of Ukraine complied with international agreements.
Lord Dannatt said that Russian President Vladimir Putin would look beyond diplomacy and sanctions "to see where the real check on his actions might come from".
"Whether his ambition reaches into eastern Ukraine or elsewhere, only he knows," wrote Lord Dannatt.
"However, with a resurgent Russia, this is a poor moment for the US-led West to be weak in resolve and muscle."
He spoke of "uncomfortable shadows of the Thirties" and added: "Russia has long been the ally of Syria.
"Mr Putin will see the UN and EU as virtually powerless to impose their will on [Syria's] President Assad, and will be further encouraged."
Lord Dannatt said an extra 3,000 troops could be stationed in Germany to "underline our commitment to peace and security" to allies in the EU and Nato.
While recognising financial pressures, "to remove further resources from defence would be sending exactly the wrong message at this time".
"On the contrary, there is a strong argument to recognise that the international landscape is more challenging than in 2010, and consider making a statement that greater military capability must underpin our diplomacy," he added.
'Too small'Current plans for cuts to the Army will see personnel numbers reduced from 102,000 to 82,000 by 2018. The number of part-time soldiers will double, from 15,000 to 30,000.
However, Lord Dannatt said there was "genuine concern" as to whether sufficient reservists could be recruited and trained.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Looking at the future, it's very hard to predict the future, if our defence capability is weak then at some point in the future, we may find that we have wrong-footed ourselves.
"Many people think that 82,000 is too small a regular army for the UK to have, I am certainly one of those."
He said that an extra 3,000 troops "would send a message to Mr Putin and others that diplomacy and economic sanctions are one thing, but there is muscle behind our message".
But when asked what the extra troops would be doing, he said: "I wouldn't expect them to do anything."
He suggested the Defence Reform Bill going through the House of Lords could be the opportunity to alter the balance between regular and reserve soldiers in the Army.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Ex-Army chief calls for more troops
Dengan url
http://sarapanoatmeal.blogspot.com/2014/03/ex-army-chief-calls-for-more-troops.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Ex-Army chief calls for more troops
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Ex-Army chief calls for more troops
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar