The Shrinking British Army

In a speech to cadets at Sandhurst Military Academy, the former Chief of the General Staff in the United Kingdom, General Sir Patrick Sanders, warned that “British troops will be outmanned in any future war and enemy forces will also have better technology” (The Telegraph, December 16, 2024). He further noted that “modernisation would take time that was in ‘short supply’ as the Army seeks to become more lethal.” He did try to soften the ominous perspective, noting, “We have always fought with our backs to the wall. This is who we are.”

General Sanders has called for a “citizen army” to counter Russia’s growing threat, and he warned that Britain will fight in the future. Earlier last year, General Sanders’ replacement, Sir Roland Walker, warned “that Britain must be ready to fight a war in three years.” Last October, Britain’s defense secretary warned that the country is not ready to fight a war. In December, “Alistair Carns, the veterans minister, said the whole British Army would be wiped out within six months to a year of a war with Russia.”

The relative peace of the 1990s and early 2000s resulted in many nations, including the UK, drastically cutting defense spending, while many other nations continued to advance. The world is now much more dangerous, and nations like Britain are woefully behind on troop and weapons development. For centuries, Britain’s military was a source of power and pride—but God prophesied that, at the end of the age, “I will break the pride of your power” (Leviticus 26:19). He pronounced that curse due to people’s continued rejection of their Creator, and this warning is not limited to the UK—it also affects other Israelite-descended nations, like the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and many nations of Western Europe. To learn more about these end-time prophecies and their impact on modern Israelite nations, read or listen to The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.