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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Military chiefs warn of potential two-front war against Russia & China
British military chiefs fear a 'nightmare scenario' of fighting major wars against Russia and China at the same time, and are preparing for the West's enemies to launch coordinated campaigns. General Sir Patrick Sanders, the former head of the British army, revealed that the Ministry of Defence has drawn up plans for how to respond to wars breaking out simultaneously on two fronts. He said such crisis could erupt within two years, and told The Times' podcast The General and The Journalist how such a scenario could play out. 'We could end up with the axis powers - Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea - collaborating to create a war on two fronts,' he said. 'It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a NATO territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard. Having quickly seized limited objectives, limited territory, they sit back behind a nuclear umbrella and they dare NATO to act. Now that's incredibly high stakes, but the payoff for Putin would be very, very high.' Sanders (pictured), who left his post as chief of the general staff 11 months ago, said his former colleagues were 'really worried' about the prospect and were actively thinking it through and 'wargaming' ways to deal with it. If Russia invaded the territory of a NATO member state and the military alliance failed to act against its aggression, 'it effectively means the end of Nato', Sanders said. He additionally warned that the only way to deter aggression from Britain and NATO's adversaries was to rapidly rearm. His comments come as US defence chief Pete Hegseth (pictured) today pushed NATO to agree a deal on increasing military spending that could satisfy President Donald Trump. The US leader has demanded that alliance members boost defence budgets to five percent of their GDP at the June 24-25 meeting in the Netherlands. NATO chief Mark Rutte has put forward a compromise agreement for 3.5 percent of GDP on core military spending by 2032, and 1.5 percent on broader security-related areas such as infrastructure. Several diplomats say Rutte looks on track to secure the deal for the summit in The Hague as NATO grapples with the threat from Russia after more than three years of war in Ukraine. But a few allies remain hesitant about committing to such levels of spending, including UK PM Sir Keir Starmer, who refused to promise that Britain will raise defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2034. However military leaders calling for more defence investment have warned such a rise could be too little too late. China's President Xi Jinping considers 2027 to be the date his military is capable of invading Taiwan, with Hegseth warning this week that the threat posed by Beijing is 'imminent'. Meanwhile Germany's defence chief starkly warned last week that NATO should be prepared for a possible attack by Russia within the next four years. General Carsten Breuer told the BBC that Russia poses a 'very serious threat' to the Western defence bloc, the likes of which he has never seen in his 40-year military career.' Breuer pointed to the massive increase in Vladimir Putin's armoury and ammunitions stock, including a massive output of 1,500 main battle tanks every year as well as the four million rounds of 152mm artillery munition produced in 2024 alone. He said that not all of these additional military equipment was going to Ukraine, which signalled a possible building up of capabilities that could be used against the NATO bloc, adding that Baltic states were at a particularly high risk of being attacked. 'There's an intent and there's a build up of the stocks' for a possible future attack on NATO's Baltic state members. 'This is what the analysts are assessing - in 2029. So we have to be ready by 2029... If you ask me now, is this a guarantee that's not earlier than 2029? I would say no, it's not. So we must be able to fight tonight,' he said. Breuer (pictured) said that the Suwalki Gap, a region that borders Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Belarus, was particularly vulnerable to Russian military activity. 'The Baltic States are really exposed to the Russians, right? And once you are there, you really feel this... in the talks we are having over there,' he said. Starmer on Monday vowed to make the UK 'battle-ready' while committing to building 12 new nuclear-powered submarines and at least six new munitions factories as part of the government's Strategic Defence Review. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz last week declared that Berlin will finance the production of long-range missiles in Ukraine, shortly after pushing a €500 billion defence and infrastructure spending bill through parliament. He is due to meet President Trump in Washington today as he works to keep the US on board with Western diplomatic and military support for Ukraine. Merz will hope that his pledge to sharply increase Germany's NATO defence spending will please Trump, and that he can find common ground on confronting Russia after the US president voiced growing frustration with Putin following a frosty call between the two leaders yesterday.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
A 'nightmare double war' against Russia and China faces the West within two years as Putin challenges NATO and Beijing eyes Taiwan invasion, military chiefs fear
British military chiefs fear a 'nightmare scenario' of fighting major wars against Russia and China at the same time, and are preparing for the West's enemies to launch coordinated campaigns. General Sir Patrick Sanders, the former head of the British army, revealed that the Ministry of Defence has drawn up plans for how to respond to wars breaking out simultaneously on two fronts. He said such crisis could erupt within two years, and told The Times' podcast The General and The Journalist how such a scenario could play out. 'We could end up with the axis powers - Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea - collaborating to create a war on two fronts,' he said. 'It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. 'An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a NATO territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard. 'Having quickly seized limited objectives, limited territory, they sit back behind a nuclear umbrella and they dare NATO to act. Now that's incredibly high stakes, but the payoff for Putin would be very, very high.' Sanders, who left his post as chief of the general staff 11 months ago, said his former colleagues were 'really worried' about the prospect and were actively thinking it through and 'wargaming' ways to deal with it. If Russia invaded the territory of a NATO member state and the military alliance failed to act against its aggression, 'it effectively means the end of Nato', Sanders said. He additionally warned that the only way to deter aggression from Britain and NATO's adversaries was to rapidly rearm. His comments come as US defence chief Pete Hegseth today pushed NATO to agree a deal on increasing military spending that could satisfy President Donald Trump. The US leader has demanded that alliance members boost defence budgets to five percent of their GDP at the June 24-25 meeting in the Netherlands. NATO chief Mark Rutte has put forward a compromise agreement for 3.5 percent of GDP on core military spending by 2032, and 1.5 percent on broader security-related areas such as infrastructure. Several diplomats say Rutte looks on track to secure the deal for the summit in The Hague as NATO grapples with the threat from Russia after more than three years of war in Ukraine. But a few allies remain hesitant about committing to such levels of spending, including UK PM Sir Keir Starmer, who refused to promise that Britain will raise defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2034. However military leaders calling for more defence investment have warned such a rise could be too little too late. China's President Xi Jinping considers 2027 to be the date his military is capable of invading Taiwan, with Hegseth warning this week that the threat posed by Beijing is 'imminent'. Meanwhile Germany's defence chief starkly warned last week that NATO should be prepared for a possible attack by Russia within the next four years. General Carsten Breuer told the BBC that Russia poses a 'very serious threat' to the Western defence bloc, the likes of which he has never seen in his 40-year military career.' Breuer pointed to the massive increase in Vladimir Putin's armoury and ammunitions stock, including a massive output of 1,500 main battle tanks every year as well as the four million rounds of 152mm artillery munition produced in 2024 alone. He said that not all of these additional military equipment was going to Ukraine, which signalled a possible building up of capabilities that could be used against the NATO bloc, adding that Baltic states were at a particularly high risk of being attacked. 'There's an intent and there's a build up of the stocks' for a possible future attack on NATO's Baltic state members. 'This is what the analysts are assessing - in 2029. So we have to be ready by 2029... If you ask me now, is this a guarantee that's not earlier than 2029? I would say no, it's not. So we must be able to fight tonight,' he said. Breuer said that the Suwalki Gap, a region that borders Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Belarus, was particularly vulnerable to Russian military activity. 'The Baltic States are really exposed to the Russians, right? And once you are there, you really feel this... in the talks we are having over there,' he said. Starmer on Monday vowed to make the UK 'battle-ready' while committing to building 12 new nuclear-powered submarines and at least six new munitions factories as part of the government's Strategic Defence Review. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz last week declared that Berlin will finance the production of long-range missiles in Ukraine, shortly after pushing a €500 billion defence and infrastructure spending bill through parliament. He is due to meet President Trump in Washington today as he works to keep the US on board with Western diplomatic and military support for Ukraine. Merz will hope that his pledge to sharply increase Germany's NATO defence spending will please Trump, and that he can find common ground on confronting Russia after the US president voiced growing frustration with Putin following a frosty call between the two leaders yesterday.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
4 safe places should World War Three start
British Army Chief, General Sir Patrick Sanders (pictured), recently warned the UK to train and equip a 'citizen army' to ready the country for a potential land war. The Chief of General Staff said Britain's army is 'too small' and urged ministers to 'mobilise the nation' in preparation for a wider conflict against Russia amid the invasion of Ukraine . More recently tensions heightened between the United States and Iran, after a drone attack killed three American soldiers. With Russia and China warning the US against a 'cycle of retaliation' after Joe Biden threatened to target their ally, MailOnline takes a look at the five places on Earth that could be safe in the event of World War III. Wood Norton, Worcestershire. With only a small radio mast and a security barrier in sight, you would perhaps miss the huge network of tunnels running deep into the Worcestershire forest. Originally bought by the BBC at the beginning of World War II, the bunker's initial purpose was to be a hidden base for the broadcaster in the event a crisis in London. According to GloucestershireLive, Wood Norton is used as a training base for sound engineers and technical staff at the broadcasting company. The bunker also has a mast which would continue broadcasting messages from the BBC if the UK were ever to go into crisis mode. Also referred to as PAWN, Protected Area Wood Norton, the site is hidden deep in the Worcestershire hillside, boasting several storeys of architecture underground. The broadcaster outlined in documents released, also known as the War Book, in 2016 that the base would be utilised in the event of a grave attack on the UK. The facility is reportedly able to house up 90 BBC staff - including 12 news editors and sub-editors - and also boasts a ping-pong table. Raven Rock Mountain Complex, Pennsylvania. The Raven Rock Mountain Complex has maintained an air of mystique ever since they began building the facility in 1948. Dubbed 'Harry's Hole' after President Truman, who gave the project the go-ahead, the Pennsylvanian facility first opened its doors in 1953. Raven's Rock was constructed with the intention of being a 'centrepiece of a large emergency hub' according to Garret Graff, author of Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plan to Save Itself - While The Rest Of Us Die. Boasting 100,000 feet of office space, the bunker could facilitate up to 1,400 people. The base also has two 1,000 foot-long tunnels as well as 34-ton blast doors to help reduce the impact of a possible bomb attack. Even though the site was placed into standby mode by President George H.W. Bush in 1991, $652 million worth of upgrades were pumped into the site following 9/11. According to Graff, the underground city was kitted out with 27 new fuel tanks in 2012, with both having the ability to carry 20,000 gallons. Presently, the bunker is thought to have a whopping 900,000 square feet of office space, as well as the capacity for between 3,000 to 5.000 government employees. Family members would not be permitted to reside in the base. He said: 'Families would have been prohibited from Raven Rock — as they would have been from effectively all of the Doomsday bunkers. Athough in recent years as the veil of complete secrecy has lifted, family members of Raven Rock personnel are allowed to visit it for specific ceremonies. So at the very least, family members today can picture where their relatives will spend Doomsday, even as they're barred outside.' Peters Mountain, Virginia. Peters Mountain, situated in the vast Appalachian Mountains of Virginia has been there for some time, functioning as an AT&T communications station. When you spot the sight you can even see an AT&T logo painted on a helicopter landing pad. It serves as one of several secret centres also known as AT&T project offices, according to The New York Post. These facilities are essential for the US government's continuity planning. The centre tucked away in Appalachia has the ability to house a few hundred people. According to Graff, the bunker has received renovations costing $67 million in recent years. He stated that an attack on Washington were to occur, it would potentially be used as a relocation site for intelligence agencies. Cheyenne Mountain Complex - NORAD. Although Peters Mountain and Raven Rock were kept under wraps from the public, one bunker has always been public since its inception. Cheyenne Mountain Complex, which is located in El Paso County, Colorado, is a defense bunker for the United States Space Force. Better known as the headquarters for NORAD, (North American Aerospace Defense Command), the site was constructed in the 1950 in response to Cold War paranoia. The five chambers within the extraordinary bunker all have reservoirs for fuel and water - and in one section they reportedly even have an underground lake. Almost $40 million was invested into the facility in order to kit it out with the best technology, including 15 console displays and three room-sized Philco 212 computers. In the midst of a crisis, the Cheyenne Mountain Complex can hold up to 1,000 people a month. The facility, which costs an eye-watering $250-million a year to run, was on the brink of closure prior to 9/11. Although it was briefly put on standby mode in 2006, the Obama administration opted to breath a new lease of life into the base.
The Independent
5 days ago
- General
- The Independent
As an ex-army captain, I'd back national service. But conscription? No way...
A citizens' army is in the news once again after a major defence review unveiled by the prime minister. As part of a pledge to make the UK 'battle-ready', Keir Starmer has ordered up to a dozen new attack submarines, £15bn worth of nuclear warheads and thousands of new long-range weapons. The report made 62 recommendations, including creating a British Army that is 'ten times more lethal' with more personnel, long-range missiles and land-drone swarms. Welcome: the MOD's planned military service 'gap years'.... aka Gen Z conscription. And it's here that we run into a problem. It's not the first time we've heard the idea of national service mooted this year – in January, General Sir Patrick Sanders said that the British army must expand, following years of personnel and financial cuts. But the government would have a tough task forcing people to the parade ground, especially in light of the current recruitment struggles. Seeking to roll back on the cuts that have been forced on the army, with regular forces at 100,000 in 2010 shrinking to fewer than 76,000 today, Sanders was on record as saying recent cuts [from the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review and the 2021 Defence in a Competitive Age report] were a 'mistake'. Sanders ambitiously urged the UK to raise the army to 120,000, in preparedness for the unexpected. So, why do we need more troops? The British army being overstretched may come as a surprise to irregular military listeners, after the close of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. But contributions to the UN mission in Cyprus, Nato mission in Kosovo and commitments in the Falklands, Belize, Germany and Canada continue. Enter President Putin: instability in Ukraine means the Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) deployments in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland bear an unpredictability. These activities require resources. British army retention is struggling. Sanders's – and now Starmer's – solution? An expanded 'citizen army'. It might work if it is voluntary, but conscription would face enormous challenges unless the UK faced the most existential threat. The UK recruits soldiers who are aged between 16 and 35 and you must be at least 18 to serve in combat. In Ukraine, where the conscription age is set at 25, there has been strong resistance against the push for younger conscripts. The average age of Ukrainian soldiers is estimated currently to be 43. An expanded recruitment pool from a wide cross-section of society might include qualified engineers, tradespeople or IT professionals for intelligence and communications, areas where the army has struggled to recruit recently. It is a mistake to imagine that combat soldiers can be spawned overnight: modern soldiering is more complex than ever. It is an open secret that we have been training Ukrainians in the UK on short, sharp, bootcamp-style training programmes. British conscripts could expect something similar. Eighteen-hour days, combat camping, building up to section and platoon attacks, ready to be inserted into units led by experienced soldiers incentivised or pulled back into service. Mobile phones are an unhelpful aspect of military campaigns. In initial training, mobiles are locked in a box for most of the week, except for a few hours, to remove distractions. In combat, modern targeting systems have made phones a beacon to enemy missile attacks. Recruitment preclusions already exist for people with certain medical histories; asthma sufferers are currently unsuitable for service, as are eating disorder sufferers, people diagnosed on the autistic spectrum and those with serious muscular skeletal injuries, which would restrict suitability. Infanteers (combat soldiers) need to run an 8.7 'beep test'. There has been an ongoing relaxation in some areas recently because what it really comes down to is: how many people you need, where you need them and for what. National service has long held appeal, especially within the Gen Z 16-24 age group. Bringing together people from every corner and community in our society could build bridges at a time when they are sorely needed. The Swiss and Norwegians both have compulsory military registration for all 18-year-old men. There are things we admire in both societies. This form of national service could bring a sense of social cohesion and mixing that we need. Any effort to create a citizen army should be rooted in volunteering, creating broad, cross-societal engagement with tangible benefits and a fixed commitment. But compulsory immediate conscription would be a disaster in the UK: the protests, civil disobedience and helicopter parenting would be abrupt unless the threat was broadly accepted. Be warned, for this is what it would entail. Phones in the box. Stand by your beds. Pile your plate high at breakfast with whatever food is on offer, you will need the energy for 18 hours a day of basic training... Mike Crofts is a former British army captain who served two tours of Afghanistan. He is now the CEO of human performance company Leading Purpose and the founder of criminal justice charity 3Pillars Project
