The UK Armed Forces are not ready to go to war , Defense Minister John Healy admitted, adding that the British army is in a much worse condition than expected after Labor succeeded the Conservatives in power, BNR reported.
Speaking of the “Politico” Power Play 100 days since he took office after Labour's rise to power, the defense secretary said Britain's military was ready to conduct “detached operations” but when it came to engaging in serious combat, they were not sufficiently prepared to to be able to stop an invading enemy. John Healy said that at the heart of NATO's current thinking is how the alliance can be “more effective” in providing deterrence against future aggression.
Healey admitted that when he was given the role of defense secretary, he found the state of the armed forces to be “much worse with much deeper problems than we thought”. Commenting on the words of “Healy” newspaper “Times” writes that it is understood that senior military chiefs in the Department of Defense share his view that if the armed forces are forced into battle soon, they may lose that battle. Back when the Conservatives were in power, in February, MPs on the Defense Select Committee said the UK armed forces would not be ready for a “high intensity” war unless personnel and equipment shortages were addressed quickly.
The Ministry of Defense needs billions of pounds more in extra funding if ministers are to avoid an “incredibly painful” cuts, according to a former government source. But the military fears Labor will fail to find a way to increase defense spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP in next week's budget.