Army at risk of becoming ‘static land force’, chief tells generals
The head of the British Army has suggested that under-funding has left it in danger of becoming a “domestically-focused land force”, The Telegraph can reveal.
In a leaked letter, Gen Sir Patrick Sanders, the Chief of the General Staff, suggested the Army’s ability to mount overseas campaigns was in jeopardy and the force’s “strategic resilience” was at risk.
Gen Sir Patrick also said he and senior officials “struggled to fully land our concerns” with the Ministry of Defence.
In the letter to former generals, with whom the Chief of the General Staff regularly consults, he wrote: “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.”
It comes as the UK and US on Saturday night launched a fresh wave of strikes against Houthi militants in Yemen in a bid to “disrupt and degrade” the Iran-backed militia’s capabilities.
The airborne attacks struck 18 Houthi targets across eight locations in Yemen linked to underground weapons and missile storage facilities, air defence systems and a helicopter.
The Army chief’s comments follow his self-described “controversial speech” in January when he suggested Britain should “train and equip” a citizen army to prepare for a future land conflict.
Maj Gen Julian Thompson, who commanded Three Commando Brigade in the Falklands, said: “He is right to warn that we might soon be unable to fulfil our expeditionary or Nato commitments. That is truly shocking.”
Col Richard Kemp, who commanded British troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Balkans and Northern Ireland, backed Gen Sir Patrick’s warning, saying that “our ability to conduct overseas operations is at risk” because of cuts.
“It is very worrying that given the multiple threats from China, Russia and Iran, our Armed Forces have been gutted of the resources required to fight effectively and to support our allies abroad,” he said.
Gen Sir Patrick’s letter also puts him at odds with Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, on “wokeism” in the military, and the MoD’s new housing initiative.
Under the initiative, personnel will be allocated houses according to family size rather than rank. It has been met with outrage by soldiers’ wives.
The letter from Gen Sir Patrick said there was “much to celebrate in the NAO [New Accommodation Offer], but I am concerned about some of the likely consequences”.
He described the policy as “a net positive for our people” but conceded that “there is an uncomfortable opportunity cost and for the most part, this will be felt by the Officer Corps”.
The letter continued: “This does present risk to the social fabric of the Army, and it diminishes the strength of the offer we provide to young officers, in particular. I and ECAB [executive committee of the Army board] feel it is as vital to look after our leadership as our soldiers, but we are not being heard.”
A petition set up by Army wives calling for a review of the policy has gained 16,000 signatures, warning that retention rates in the forces will continue to suffer if the policy goes through unchanged.
Between October 2022 and October 2023, the regular Armed Forces saw an influx of 10,470 new recruits, while 16,260 departed. Notably, the last quarter witnessed a record-breaking 792 Army officers opting for early departure.
Gen Thompson said: “Gen Sir Patrick is right to object to the abolition of housing allocation by rank because, if it is pushed through, he’ll lose his mid-rank commanders in short order; but he weakly goes along with it. Both the threat to strategic resilience and the mortal threat to morale from the woke housing policy changes are resigning matters.”
Gen Sir Patrick also defended the Army’s diversity policies following criticism from senior ex-servicemen that they were “woke” and affecting the forces’ operational effectiveness. He endorsed lowering security clearance checks for overseas recruits to boost diversity, a policy that Mr Shapps ruled out after it was disclosed by The Telegraph.
The general’s letter referred to reports around “wokeism”, and said: “I make no apology for seeking an Army that reflects the society we serve and creates an environment that best nourishes its moral component.”
However Col Kemp said it was “wrong to say his woke policies are popular with the majority of soldiers”, adding: “I regularly speak with serving personnel who are concerned with the adoption of radical policies on gender and race in the military, which are only accelerating our recruitment and retention problems.”
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.”