Britain is prepared to fight Russia if it invades the Eastern European NATO member, says the British general

On November 22, 2024By Littum

Britain is prepared to send its soldiers to fight Russia if it invades a NATO country on the alliance’s eastern flank, Rob Magowan, the deputy chief of the British defense staff, said on Nov. 21, Politico reported.

Concerns about rising Russian aggression growing in Europe, fueled by Moscow’s advances within eastern Ukraine.

Uncertainty about Europe’s readiness to defend itself has been heightened by Republican Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election. During his campaign, Trump repeatedly stated that the United States may not support allies that do not meet NATO defense spending.

Asked how many British brigades could be deployed to NATO’s eastern flank in the event of a significant Russian escalation, Magowan assured lawmakers that Britain would respond immediately if called upon.

“I don’t think anyone in this room should be under any illusion that if the Russians invaded Eastern Europe tonight, we would meet them in that battle.” Magowan told the House of Commons defense committee.

Magowan noted that the British armed forces possess “a number of operational risks and operational strengths.”

His comments follow the UK Ministry of Defense’s announcement on November 21 that the British Army had completed live-fire testing of its Archer mobile howitzer, a rapidly deployable artillery system. The tests were conducted during a 12-day NATO exercise in Finland.

Despite this, the British government has expressed concern about the state of its military, with the British army now at its smallest size since the 18th century, Political reported.

In an interview last month, British Defense Secretary John Healey said the state of the armed forces was “far worse than we thought” when his Labor party took office this summer. The government is currently conducting a strategic defense review, according to the outlet.