The British army is too small and weak to fight Russiasaid a senior European army officer.
Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has forced Western leaders to rethink their defense and security policies.
Many EU countries have rushed to increase defense spending, which has risen 16 percent across the bloc since 2022.
In addition, some countries, such as Latvia, have reintroduced compulsory military service, while Germany is considering following suit.
The need for more manpower has become transparently apparent, given the enormous military reserves that come with it Russia was able to call on during his war Ukraine and the willingness of Putin's generals to sacrifice the lives of their soldiers in large numbers.
Yet the British government appears determined to reduce the number of soldiers in the army from the current 77,450 to 73,000 – the smallest number in 300 years.
By comparison, France has more than 110,000 soldiers, while Germany expands its total armed forces to more than 200,000 men.
The decline in numbers comes despite Rishi SunakThe country's pledge to increase defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2030.
The decision to reduce the size of the army has caused consternation and concern among military leaders across Europe.
An EU general said the troop level was crucial given the new threat posed by Putin Russia.
“There are concerns about the British military,” he said The sun. 'You have to have mass, you have to have numbers.
“In Ukraine You can see that we need mass to fight the Russian army.'
A former British lieutenant colonel told the Express that Britain was particularly vulnerable to attacks from Russia and that his army had never been weaker.
Glen Grant said: 'Britain is particularly vulnerable because we are an island and dependent on everything, including our cables running everywhere.
“And we are actually quite weak when it comes to being able to safeguard what we have, including Scotland, and the ability to strengthen and help others.
'I mean, we've never been so weak militarily. Maybe we were between the world wars, but right now we're clearly in bad shape.'
He urged the British government to quickly expand its military reserves and strengthen its defense industry – in particular, new investments must be made in drones and air defense systems to protect the UK from ballistic missile attacks.