UK Citizens May Face Military Draft Amidst Growing Tensions In Ukraine and Russia

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General Sir Patrick Sanders, a leading figure in the British Army, will address the nation about the alarming shortage in the armed forces. General Sanders is said to emphasise the urgent need for the government to prepare for potential conflicts, specifically with Russia, by considering the mobilisation of citizens. The British Army, currently at its smallest size in decades, faces a crisis that may necessitate the enlistment of private citizens to bolster its ranks.

This revelation comes on the heels of a recent statement by Nato military commander Admiral Rob Bauer, who warned of the need for the military alliance to ready itself for potential conflicts with Vladimir Putin's forces in the coming decades.

The possibility of a large-scale mobilisation of civilians, or even the implementation of conscription, is being discussed as a contingency plan in case of an escalation of hostilities in Europe.

General Sanders' speech is expected to underline the gravity of the situation and prompt a national conversation about the role of private citizens in national defence. The prospect of ordinary Britons being called up to serve in the military underscores the evolving nature of global security concerns and the imperative for nations to adapt their strategies accordingly.

Adml Bauer said: “The discussion is much wider... people that have to understand they play a role... The realisation that not everything is plannable and not everything is going to be hunky dory in the next 20 years.”

General Saunders is scheduled to deliver his address at the International Armoured Vehicles conference in Twickenham at 10.15 am, sharing the platform with other distinguished military speakers.

The concerns about the shrinking size of the army have been voiced by figures like General Lord Dannatt, a former general staff of the British Army. He highlighted a significant decline, from 102,000 personnel in 2006 to the current 74,000, emphasising the alarming pace of reduction.

"If our armed forces are not strong enough to deter future aggression from Moscow or Beijing it will not be a small war to contend with but a major one.”

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Should the military sustain its current pace of troop reduction, the count of regular soldiers is projected to dip below 70,000 by the year 2026, as per the statistics gathered by the newspaper.