General Sir Richard Sherriff tells Sky News that even if Russia is defeated in the war against Ukraine, it is going to remain determined to rebuild another empire, subjugate Ukraine, and then move on to other ex-Soviet countries, like NATO members. That could mean war with Russia.
  • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1152·
    10 months ago

    There is of course another option, which is to fully arm, equip, and support Ukraine, now.

    They can and will win with sufficient support, and its a far better investment than waiting for things to get far worse (and far more expensive).

    Money spent supporting Ukraine now, getting them to victory, represents a material savings over having to further spend later to fix the mistakes we’ve made in failing to fully support Ukraine up until now.

  • TigrisMorte@kbin.social
    362·
    10 months ago

    They are always ready to kill your kids in defense of their interests. Them and their kids? Not so much.

  • zarathustra0@lemmy.worldEnglish
    331·
    10 months ago

    Can’t we just take all of the sociopaths from the banking industry and stick them on the front line?

    • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      10 months ago

      As long as we put the health insurance execs, the pharma execs and the big ag execs right there with them.

    • TheDarkKnight@lemmy.worldEnglish
      222·
      10 months ago

      I think instability of the world at the current moment is being acknowledged by military brass throughout NATO as having the potential volatility to see current regional conflicts expand considerably. Middle East, Taiwan, NK (unlikely but a bit of a crapshoot always), Ukraine, etc. Throw in the wild card that is Trump and his rhetoric surrounding NATO and Europe combined with his embrace of Putin and Russia/dictorial aims in the US and you’ve got several things that would have you worried presently. His job is to make sure the UK is ready to address any situations that arise I think statement is more publicly acknowledging that troubled waters COULD be on the horizon.

  • PugJesus@kbin.social
    31·
    10 months ago

    "Could we try offering actual support to our soldiers and competitive pay and benefits, and eliminating toxic military cultures, to increase recruitment?

    No. It is the people who don’t want to ruin their health and their life for minimal benefits in peacetime who are wrong."

    • Serinus@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      10 months ago

      We do see that’s the general’s goal, right? He doesn’t actually want conscription; he wants funding and attention.

  • Deceptichum@kbin.social
    172·
    10 months ago

    I never get why people who were handed a gun and told to march off and die over there wouldn’t just turn the gun around at the person sending them to be killed?

    Like does anyone feel like the shit state of the world, where the elite class are giving us a worse quality of life than previous generations is worth sacrificing ourselves for?

    • Kornblumenratte@feddit.deEnglish
      42·
      10 months ago

      No volunteer army will ever be able to fight a war with Moscow. We don’t need conscription now, but we need to be aware that we might need in 5-15 years time and be prepared.

      • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        10 months ago

        No volunteer army will ever be able to fight a war with Moscow.

        Bullshit. Russia’s military is stretched thin and its economy in tatters to the point that it won’t recover in decades “just” from fighting Ukraine+a shitload of material assistance and sanctions from the West.

        If it ever comes to direct war between Russia and the West, especially if that’s during the next few decades, the current forces of the West will absolutely annihilate Russia WITHOUT having to force the unwilling to kill and get killed.

        Unless of course Putin snaps and uses nuclear weapons, in which case there won’t be people alive to conscript.

  • EdanGrey@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    9·
    10 months ago

    I think the government would find it difficult to make all the young people go. If they all protest, what are they going to do, put them in our overcrowded prisons?

  • hector@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    82·
    10 months ago

    Fuck them all. I’m not fighting their meaningless war…

    What does “Sir Richard Sheriff”, “Supreme Commander” of the army knows about life. I won’t let him choose how I die.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    5·
    10 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    It’s time to “think the unthinkable” and consider introducing conscription to ready the country for a potential land war, Britain’s former top NATO commander has said.

    General Sir Richard Sherriff, ex-deputy supreme allied commander of the military organisation, warned that the UK defence budget is not big enough to expand the armed forces alone.

    “Britain’s armed forces have traditionally and culturally relied on long service volunteer highly professional soldiers with huge experience - and that is really the way we would all want it to go on.”

    The head of the British Army said UK citizens should be “trained and equipped” to fight in a potential war between NATO and Vladimir Putin’s forces.

    Major General Charlie Herbert, a military analyst who has served as a senior NATO adviser, said Sir Patrick was trying to “provoke a debate”, nationally and within government, about the size of the army and the defence budget.

    “There’s a 1939 feel to the world right now,” senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood told Sky News on Wednesday, warning conscription was a possibility.

    The original article contains 1,120 words, the summary contains 175 words. Saved 84%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!