A retired RAF officer and now a UK member of parliament believes people are not prepared for the effects that war in the Middle East will have on them and the country.
Liberal Democrat MP for Tewkesbury Cameron Thomas told the BBC:
“I don’t believe there are any illusions in the government as to how urgent this matter Middle East conflict is…but I’m not entirely sure the public is there.
“We need to prepare for it as a nation – not just as a government, but as a population.”
The MP believes that people do not understand how wars around the globe could soon have a larger impact on them.
He is also critical of the Army, which he claims is suffering from not only a lack of morale, but a lack of decent kit. This he blames on years of under-investment.
He said:
“I’m not convinced we are adequately prepared for an active conflict. We need to rearm today. We need more artillery, we need more rounds, more drone capability and anti-drone capability. The question is where does that money come from?”
Although the UK has been asked to reach a 5% of GDP commitment on defence spending, like all NATO allies, it currently spends less than half that amount, some 2.3%. It has said it will increase this to 3.5% over the next decade.
The UK has borne a number of criticisms over the state of its armed forces, especially as it had no warship in the Mediterranean as British base RAF Akrotiri was hit by a drone in early March.
It took weeks for the only ship available – HMS Dragon – which was in dry dock at the time, to make it on station, helping to guard Cyprus.
Since the Falklands War, the size of the fleet has dropped by 76 vessels and personnel has more than halved from 65,000 to just over 30,000. Only a handful of vessels are now available within the fleet for operational duties.
