Britain does not have enough weapons to counter Russian army threat, report warns
BRITAIN doesn't have sufficient weapons to counter a menace from the Russian army, a report warns.
The armed forces are overstretched and losing personnel faster than they will recruit.
And the UK won't be ready to battle an all-out conflict until ministers fix stockpile shortages.
A report by the Commons Defence Select Committee says: "UK stockpiles of munitions are far under the level required to counter with certainty a menace from the Russian Army."
Its inquiry into Britain's warfare readiness concluded that hollowing out of the armed forces since 2010 had undermined the UK's war-fighting resilience.
Committee chair and Tory MP Sir Jeremy Quin stated: "A gentle, steady drip of operations and ongoing commitments has meant the army is unable to dedicate enough coaching and assets to high-intensity warfighting.
"While capable of deploy at brief discover and to fulfil commitments, our inquiry discovered that readiness for all-out, prolonged conflict has acquired insufficient consideration and wishes intense ongoing focus.
"On prime of this, the high tempo of operations and unrelenting strain on our Providers has led to a drop in retention, compounded by a period of low recruitment and difficulties introducing and maintaining capabilities, thereby making a vicious cycle."
It comes after Defence Secretary Grant Shapps stated the world is "shifting from a post-war to pre-war world" and the UK must ensure its "whole defence ecosystem is prepared".
He insisted the dimensions of the Military won't dip under 73,000 beneath the Conservatives.
More >> https://ift.tt/el4ujpm Source: RED ROADS