Ex-Army chief joins calls for UK to prepare for conscription if Russia attacks

Sir Richard Barrons warned the British military could run out of volunteer soldiers (Picture: PA)

A former senior army commander has backed calls for conscription to be added to Britain’s arsenal of options to repel a potential Russian attack.

General Sir Richard Barrons warned the Armed Forces are ‘so small in terms of equipment, so undertrained, so badly supported in terms of stocks and engineering’.

The RAF and Navy are ‘wafer thin’, while the UK’s land forces are in an even worse state, he told the i newspaper.

‘The Army – and it knows this perfectly well – is absolutely not ready to take its place in Nato in a confrontation with Russia,’ General Sir Richard added.

The possibility of forcing British citizens to fight in the event of war with Russia has gained traction in the wake of controversial comments by the outgoing head of the British Army last month.

Sir Patrick Sanders said the UK should train a ‘citizen army’ among other steps to put it on a ‘war footing’ in response to rising security threats.

Rishi Sunak quickly poured cold water on the idea, though experts have since warned the UK may not have any choice if conflict with Putin turns into a wider European or world war.

Military experts have warned Putin is becoming increasingly volatile

Sir Richard, served as deputy chief of the defence staff and led Joint Forces Command before retiring in 2016, admitted conscription is ‘unpalatable’ but warned Brits not to assume war is always an ‘away game’.

He added: ‘It is alien but only in our lifetimes, not in our ancestors’ lives – my father did National Service.

‘In the mobilisation of civil society, you start with volunteers. If the war is not over and you’ve run out of volunteers, then you have to conscript people… This is entirely historically normal.

‘You’re not mobilising because you’re going to invade somebody else’s country. You’re mobilising because someone is threatening yours – and your family and your livelihood.’

The UK’s Chief of General Staff, Patrick Sanders, said conscription may be necessary (Picture: Anadolu)

The British Army currently counts around 76,000 soldiers and 26,000 reservists.

Last month Sir Patrick said: ‘Within the next three years, it must be credible to talk of a British Army of 120,000, folding in our reserve and strategic reserve.

‘But this is not enough. Our friends in eastern and northern Europe, who feel the proximity of the Russian threat more acutely, are already acting prudently, laying the foundations for national mobilisation.’

Calls for conscription to be taken seriously have been accompanied by even louder demands for better resources for the military.

Experts fear Putin will become more dangerous if he is defeated in Ukraine (Picture: Anadolu)

On Sunday, a leaked letter revealed Sir Patrick fears underfunding could soon kill the Army’s ability to fight overseas.

Writing to former generals, he said: ‘For some time, we have asset-sweated the military, compounded by a mismatch between ambition and resource that has been robustly addressed by both National Audit Office and Defence Select Committee reporting. 

‘Our strategic resilience is at risk, and we might inadvertently reduce ourselves to a smaller, static and domestically-focused land force.

‘I am not sure that this is either the Army the nation needs, or the one that policymakers want.’

Sir Richard Barrons warned parts of Britain’s armed forces are ‘wafer thin’ (Picture: PA)

The comments, which were revealed in The Sunday Telegraph, were backed by two prominent retired generals.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘Our Armed Forces are always ready to protect and defend the nation, with more than £50billion being spent on defence this year alone.

‘The Army is currently undergoing its largest transformation in 20 years, creating a more integrated, agile, and lethal force, fit to face up to current and future threats.

‘Alongside this, £41 billion is being invested in equipment and support projects over the next 10 years to ensure the Army has the highest quality equipment for the battlefield.’

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