The cordial meeting between the Prime Minister and NATO’s Secretary General this week masked three deepening tensions centred on Defence Spending, Russia and Ukraine.
The first is the Government’s inability to deliver the 2025 recommendations made by former NATO SG, Lord Roberton. The funding gap for re-armament is bad enough, but the real issues are the shortage of recruits and the lack of preparedness in society. The paucity of Territorial Army Centres in Britain’s towns exacerbates the problem and needs to be corrected pronto.
The second is the portrayal of Russia by the Government, which is totally flawed. Putin is neither isolated internationally, nor domestically. His reserves dwarf NATO’s and now are hardened by years of combat. The UK Chief of Defence may have said this week that we are living in the most dangerous period of his service life, but why are MPs silent? They are the ones who should be telling the public about Russia’s European war plans and manoeuvres.
The third dynamic is the skewed reporting from Ukraine. The focus on drone attacks provides a glimpse of the war, but these are like wasps attacking a crocodile. The real business is happening in the Donbas, where an intense ground war continues after twelve years. The Media needs to stop pretending that close combat is a thing of the past.
It is the business of strategists to identify weaknesses in order to counter threats and provide opportunities for success. However, it is the job of politicians to stiffen the resolve of a nation and to ensure that military capability is in place to withstand the first attack. It is time to act.
NATO Photograph
Rupert Wieloch 