General Magowan: British Army ready for war with Russia on NATO’s eastern flank
Deputy Chief of Defense Staff Rob Magowan told members of parliament that the British army "will fight tonight" if asked to amid rising tensions with Russia.
This was reported by Politico, Censor.NET reported.
In response to a question about how many British brigades could reach NATO's eastern flank in the event of a significant escalation by Russia, Magowan said: "If the British Army was asked to fight today, it would fight today."
He emphasized that no one at the meeting should be under any illusions.
"If the Russians invade Eastern Europe tonight, we will meet them in this battle," the lieutenant general emphasized.
NATO's rules of collective defense stipulate that an attack on one member of the Alliance will be treated as an attack on all allies.
However, the publication notes that there are still concerns about Britain's military potential in the event of an escalation in Europe. The number of British ground troops is the smallest since the 1700s. Last month, Defense Secretary John Healey said that the state of the British Armed Forces is "much worse than we thought."
