The British Army is unprepared for a potential large-scale and prolonged war due to personnel shortages and challenges in recruiting and retaining troops, a report by the UK government’s defense committee has found.
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“The Government will not be able to achieve its desired level of high-intensity combat readiness without rapidly accelerating reforms to increase and maintain a thriving industrial base and improve its ‘offer’ to the military…overstretch has a negative impact on readiness for high-intensity combat operations,” the report published on the website of the British House of Representatives stated.
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In addition, the report’s authors concluded that preparedness for a total and prolonged war has not received the attention it requires. However, the high pace of current military operations and the “unrelenting pressure” on the army have already led to a decrease in the ability to retain personnel, which is exacerbated by a period of low recruitment, thereby “creating a vicious circle.”
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“As a result, according to the committee, it is not surprising that more people are leaving the armed forces than joining them,” the report’s authors conclude.
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The defense committee has called on the government to make “tough choices”: either invest fully in the army or accept that properly prioritizing combat operations will mean less availability of more missions.
