Is the UK now on a "war footing"?

DUncle of mine was a former Defence Secretary and now sits in the H of Lords. He made an interesting speech last week in Paris about Europe/UK/Nato.

www.lorddavidowen.co.uk/refusing-to-pay-for-our-own-defence-has-kept-america-dominant-in-nato-it-was-a-grievous-error-that-must-never-be-repeated/

You never want war. It is awful, beyond awful. The uk tends to get involved in wars and I hope the politicians think very ,very hard before they lead people into death. It would be good if only those in positions of power fought the wars and left the rest of us alone. It is always someone else’s fault somehow.

escaped I agree that Europe have relied too much on the US for defence and now find ourselves with Trump who puts the US and himself first. We cannot now count on the US.

nanna8

You never want war. It is awful, beyond awful. The uk tends to get involved in wars and I hope the politicians think very ,very hard before they lead people into death. It would be good if only those in positions of power fought the wars and left the rest of us alone. It is always someone else’s fault somehow.

After WW2 I was brought up by parents very concerned to end wars not start them, in the peace movement and CND. I too hate any discussion, but have long accepted its inevitable - plus watching our troops employed as peacekeepers has helped. I'm glad to live in a country that talks about defence not attack.

We did wait far far too long for a review when war has changed so very much. and money is short and very difficult to make strategic decisions with competing demands.

The US "pulling out" is a plus and a minus in Europe.

The new submarines will not be in service until the late 2030’s

It will take years for the new ammunitions factories to begin production.

So no the U.K. is not on a war footing as such.

nanna8

You never want war. It is awful, beyond awful. The uk tends to get involved in wars and I hope the politicians think very ,very hard before they lead people into death. It would be good if only those in positions of power fought the wars and left the rest of us alone. It is always someone else’s fault somehow.

We did not get involved in Vietnam, thankfully.

Yes, wars are started by poopticians, never by soldiers.

Increasing our defence is sensible as it has been decreased substantially over many years.

It does not mean we are on a war footing.
Using such language is scaremongering.

Allira 👍🏻

poopticians
Oh dear, an unfortunate typo 😯

Yes but a great one 😂

and its another 👍 for Allira's post

😳

Allira

poopticians
Oh dear, an unfortunate typo 😯

One of your best yet 😂
I love them.

Casdon

I don’t think there is any option but to re-arm. Europe as a whole has been way too complacent about the threat of invasion, and isn’t currently in a position to effectively defend itself. I don’t think this is a Labour Government issue either, I think whichever party was in power would be doing the same thing. Having said that, I don’t think we are actually on a war footing at the moment, we are preparing for if we need to be.

I agree.

FriedGreen I love the joke😂

Sarnia

I don't feel we are on a war footing but with the world as it is the Government need to increase spending to improve our defence.
As seen with the wars going on at the moment, drones and modern technology will play a big part in any future conflict.
My Dad always said that scrapping conscription was a bad idea. Young people in this country will need to be trained and ready if and when war affects us.

There was no alternative to scrapping conscription. Conscription belonged to the days when armies were dependent on men in boots fighting hand to hand,cannon fodder, and taking places over.

Modern armies from the youngest private upwards are highly trained technically, psychologically, they are taught how to peace-keep, deal with natural disasters and many other specialised fields. There is no room in a modern army for school leavers, many with no qualifications, to swamp a highly trained army,

Oreo

FriedGreen I love the joke😂

Yes🤣

Perhaps a ‘spat’ would be even cheaper🤣

Indeed! We might be able to afford a spat! 😂

GrannyGravy13

The new submarines will not be in service until the late 2030’s

It will take years for the new ammunitions factories to begin production.

So no the U.K. is not on a war footing as such.

Actually we ae on a war footing. I can say no more

Nanna8, China is observing your part of the world, I hope your defences are ready

Correct Monica, my dgs will be entering sandhurst with hopefully physics, chemistry and maths A levels

I also know of some of the processes being developed by our very well -run, high tech engineering companies. We still have a lot of innovation in this country. The expertise is still with us. The focus is very much on defence of the realm

karmalady there are many levels of readiness

When our AC tells us to be worried, then I will be.

Perhaps there is space for these school leavers if its the one year scheme - someone said this on another board -

If its young people with no qualifications, someone has to cook, medical orderlies, stock food and equipment, clean uniforms, mend vehicles, help dig people out in national emergencies..

If they do have qualifications, it could be a doorway for those with qualifications to deciding whether they are interested in a career like this whatever their skills are.

GrannyGravy13

karmalady there are many levels of readiness

When our AC tells us to be worried, then I will be.

And then tell us too GG13? I can then park any concerns whipped up by the newspapers until you tell me otherwise.

Thank you in advance.
Your pen pal.
x

The armed forces train new recruits.

Is there a definition of ‘being on a war footing’? How would we know?