In the face of the growing threat from Russia, Great Britain needs to review its defense strategies and approaches to national security. Sir Patrick Sanders, who recently resigned from the post of Chief of the General Staff, emphasized that there must be a "shift" in the mindset of the country's population. It is an important reminder that the threat from the Kremlin is not an abstraction, but a reality that Britons can face.
According to a report by the House of Lords Committee on International Relations and Defence, the current size of the British armed forces is not capable of providing the necessary deterrent force in the conditions of prolonged and intense hostilities. The army, numbering only 72,500, is the smallest since the Napoleonic Wars. This raises serious questions about its readiness for a possible conflict with Russia.
The report also draws attention to the fact that public awareness of the state of the UK's defense policy is "depressingly low". This shows that society is not aware of the real threat and does not understand why it is important to invest in national security. It is necessary to form the "thinking of a nation under real threat", because this can be the key to strengthening the country's defense capabilities.
The report also emphasizes that the full-scale war in Ukraine demonstrates the need not only to improve the "physical capabilities" of the army, but also to increase the resilience and psychological readiness of the nation. This involves the involvement of all sectors of society in defense planning, similar to the concept of "total defense" that operates in Sweden and Finland.
Taking into account the above, there is an urgent need to intensify public dialogue about national security and prepare the population for possible challenges.
