No. of Recommendations: 2
A lot of the left wing 'o verse was all aflutter at Keir Starmer's offer for 20k or so British troops as peacekeepers in the Ukraine. But can they even field that?
Doubtful.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/br...Twenty-thousand troops? We only have 25 main battle tanks working at best
Left to rot in sheds, our equipment is either ancient, non-existent or yet to arrive, while ammunition stocks would not last a week if push came to shove, says defence expert Francis TusaAnd this is the sad sack state of NATO that you people are preening over. Grow up. The world isn't an episode of
The West Wing no matter how hard you wish it was:
Now, the main battle tank (MBT) force is at a disastrous low. The Challenger 2 fleet (just over 400 were bought in the 1990s) has a notional strength of 213 tanks, after 14 were donated to Ukraine. However, these have been at the receiving end of “malign neglect” – maintenance regimes slashed in the 2000s and 2010s, spares not purchased, and supply chains disappearing as companies went bust. In 2023, it was reported that only around 160 of the fleet was in any fit state to be used on operations (after extensive, expensive work) – and the situation got worse.
The end result? The Royal Armoured Corps has not been able to deploy a realistic Challenger 2 regiment of 59 tanks for many years. Lack of available Challenger 2s has meant that the army’s ambition for MBTs has been at the 20 to 25 level, at the very best.
When Denmark and Sweden have more credible tank forces than the United Kingdom, you know there’s an issue.I think the Texas Guard might have more.
It gets worse:
The Royal Artillery used to have a force of over 100 self-propelled AS90 artillery pieces. But much like the Challenger 2 fleet, this had been left to rot, with only a handful available even for training. Just before Covid, I sat next to a lieutenant colonel who was taking over an AS90 regiment: “I have 24 guns in the shed, no tracks, no engines. I will have to do a lot of work to stop morale falling.” That was over five years ago, and, again, the issues of no spares and defunct supply chains have not made this situation any better.
At least 32 AS90 have been gifted to Ukraine – an entirely sensible move. But this has left the army with little to no artillery. An interim batch of 14 Swedish Archer 155mm guns has been bought – but this is an incredibly limited number.So the Brits have fewer soldiers than there are cops in New York City and have next to no heavy equipment.
Maybe it's starting to sink in that NATO is a battle force in name only. Then again, I doubt it.
