UK’s World War 3 Plan
UK’s World War 3 Plan
According to a British analyst, the UK military could not protect its home islands, let alone help defend its allies in the event of an assault, so how is the UK preparing to upgrade its military presence in the event of a new nuclear war? Check out today’s epic new video that goes inside the United Kingdom’s strategy for WW3, but will it be enough to keep the British island safe from attack? Find out now!
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Content
0.12 -> The United Kingdom is no longer seen as a Tier
One fighting force- so said a senior US general
6.48 -> in a private conversation with British defense
secretary, Ben Wallace. Upon the news breaking,
11.34 -> the British public was outraged at the US-
until defense analysts began to appear on
15.78 -> talk shows to explain that the assessment was in
fact, correct. According to a British analyst,
21.48 -> the UK military was unable to protect its home
islands, let alone help defend its allies.
26.76 -> How in the world did one of the world's most
premier fighting forces get to a state where it
31.56 -> couldn't even defend its own homeland, and what
would the UK do in case of a third global war?
36.78 -> While the UK military may be in a state of serious
decline, the British government is at least much
42.24 -> more forward thinking than most of its European
neighbors. Realizing that the war in Ukraine
46.68 -> presented Europe with two choices: support
Ukraine in fighting Russia in Ukraine today,
51.36 -> or possibly fight Russia in central Europe later,
the UK opted for the former and opened up its
57.9 -> armories to the Ukrainian military. Despite its
military being in seriously short supply of air
62.64 -> defense missiles and anti-tank weapons, the UK
nonetheless started shipping them to Ukraine
67.5 -> about as fast as it could load them on ships.
Meanwhile, countries such as France, Germany,
72.54 -> Spain, and Portugal have all been reluctant to
provide large amounts of equipment of their own,
76.98 -> stating that they need to be prepared
to defend themselves in the future-
80.22 -> and this begs the question of, from what? With
Russia struggling to hold on to east Ukraine,
85.86 -> it's incredibly unlikely they'll be
marching T-72s into Madrid anytime soon.
90.12 -> But were the UK to find itself needing to fight
Russia head on, the end result is very much in
95.58 -> question given the atrocious state of the modern
British military. How did an elite fighting force,
100.62 -> America's most capable Cold War partner, turn into
what allied soldiers in the middle east would call
106.02 -> 'the borrowers', for their propensity to never
have all the kit they needed for a mission?
110.46 -> Like most European powers, the UK fell
prey to the Cold War peace dividend.
114.72 -> With the fall of the Soviet Union, Europe
assumed that the new Russia would renounce
119.16 -> its historical ambitions for empire,
beat all their AK-47s into plowshares,
124.08 -> and resolve all future conflicts with tactical
hugs. Defense budgets dropped significantly,
129.24 -> and research and development, as well as
procurement programs, all but atrophied.
133.32 -> Spending money on defense became a rude
conversational topic, and political suicide
138.42 -> for any politician to even broach. War was best
left to the neanderthal Americans, Europe had
143.76 -> established an impenetrable utopia defended almost
entirely by good vibes no weapon could pierce.
149.16 -> On the one hand, it's hard to judge Europe for
wanting to forget the absolute pants-browning
154.08 -> terror of the Cold War taking place
in their own backyard. Americans were
158.22 -> always wary of World War III to the point of
every other family building a fallout shelter,
162.72 -> but Europeans had to worry about the horror of
either a nuclear or conventional war playing
167.4 -> out in their very living rooms. Europe was
exhausted of war, hard to blame the continent
172.38 -> for wanting to reinvest massive- and arguably
non-sustainable- defense budgets on other things.
177.78 -> But getting to a point where Britain's own
politicans have said that the country only
181.86 -> has enough ammunition for a few days of fighting
is downright criminal. And this is only the tip of
187.2 -> the iceberg, because also by their own admission
the UK would be wholly incapable of defending
192.06 -> itself from the type of air attacks taking place
in Ukraine, and if the nation wanted to field a
196.56 -> single division of 30,000 troops, it would take
between five to ten years to equip them with
201.48 -> sufficient tanks, helicopters, and artillery.
Of the tanks and infantry fighting vehicles it
206.22 -> does have, most are between three to six decades
old and have no replacement in the pipeline. And
211.74 -> if the UK was called upon to support its NATO
partners, 30% of its high readiness forces are
216.6 -> reservists who could never make NATO timelines
for deployment, undermining the entire alliance.
222.12 -> The first signs of trouble came with the British
commitment to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
226.38 -> which many blame the US for dragging the UK into
but technically is just payback for previously
232.68 -> dragging the US into a scheme to protect
British oil interests in Iran- and we all
237.66 -> know how that's played out so everyone's
even Stevens as far as we're concerned.
241.5 -> After the end of the Cold War, the British
military began to ramp down and prepare for
245.88 -> low intensity operations. However, Iraq and
Afghanistan proved to be higher intensity
250.38 -> conflicts than anticipated, and a military that
had been put on course for a low intensity fight
255.54 -> was suddenly thrust into a conflict it wasn't
fully prepared for. With operations in both
260.52 -> countries though, the UK quickly discovered it
simply did not have the resources to fight in
265.14 -> two theaters simultaneously- by June 2010 the cost
to the UK for both wars had risen to $31 billion,
271.92 -> and this in the wake of the 2008 global financial
crisis. Even as the price tag kept increasing,
278.04 -> British government was discussing how
to further reduce military spending,
281.34 -> prompted by a new government which had
inherited a budget deficit of about 12% of GDP.
286.86 -> As Prime Minister Cameron's government came
into power, they initiated an austerity plan
291.24 -> to fix UK's finances. This made it impossible to
realign and refocus British military priorities,
296.88 -> and complicated resolving a 38 billion pound
overhang in the military equipment budget alone.
302.46 -> The military equipment wish list was heavily
frowned upon and thought exorbitant given that
307.92 -> the military itself had shrunk significantly,
from 220,000 in 1998 to about 102,000
314.82 -> by 2010. Cameron's government unleashed
the Strategic Defense and Security Review,
319.56 -> which was in effect a severe cost-cutting plan
to gut the UK military. Under its guidance,
325.2 -> the British army shrank from 102,000 to 82,000-
a 20% drop- and had 40% of its Challenger 2
331.98 -> tank fleet scrapped. Self-propelled artillery,
much more expensive to equip and maintain than
337.08 -> towed artillery, also got the axe, with
Britain scrapping 35% of its inventory.
341.94 -> Another victim was the Royal Navy's HMS
Ark Royal, decommissioned in April 2011,
347.52 -> which eliminated its entire naval air
fleet arm. Its 72 Harriers were sold to
352.62 -> the US Marine Corps for the bargain price of
$180 million- a hell of a deal considering
358.2 -> at the time of their acquisition that Harrier
fleet would've cost the UK around $2 billion.
362.82 -> With no carrier or maritime patrol capability
of its own, Britain was forced to rely on its
368.1 -> allies when it intervened in the first Libyan
civil war. Operation Ellamy was an attempt to
373.02 -> prove that the UK was still a relevant European
power, but it came at a severe cost as it's
377.76 -> military's stockpile of precision weapons was
seriously depleted- and to this day they have
382.38 -> not been fully replaced. Despite this, the
British military continued to experience
386.58 -> cuts. Military leadership began to grow quite
vocal with their discontent, appearing on prime
391.74 -> time news shows to voice concern about the
readiness of the UK military. In response,
396.42 -> they were promised a 1 percent increase in
equipment purchases from 2015 to 2020. The
401.94 -> government also made plans to increase total
defense spending by 5 percent between 2020 and
406.74 -> 2021, and canceled a round of equipment cuts
to Britain's tank and artillery fleets. There
411.72 -> were also plans to bring back Britain's
carrier capabilities to the Royal Navy.
415.38 -> And then Brexit happened, hurling
the British economy into turmoil.
419.76 -> Following hot on its heels, the global
Covid pandemic did its best to further
423.66 -> ruin Britain's military reinvestment plans by
dragging the global economy into the ditch.
428.4 -> But then new Prime Minister Boris Johnson
announced the largest investment in the
433.5 -> Ministry of Defense since the Cold War- a
four year funding deal that would add $21.9
438.6 -> billion to the military's budget and would be
geared at rearmament and replenishment. Despite
443.88 -> this though, Britain was still planning
significant cuts to its standing forces,
447.3 -> specifically in its army and
its fleet of armored vehicles.
450.6 -> Then barely a year later, Russia decided
to invade Ukraine and Europe was shocked
455.52 -> to discover that Russians had opted to resolve
their problems with guns and artillery instead
459.96 -> of the expected hugs. The economic disruption
was global, and put even more pressure on the
465.3 -> UK military budget. Nonetheless, the UK has
stepped up to the plate with $2.8 billion
470.52 -> in military aid, over 200 armored vehicles,
and 10,000 rounds of artillery ammunition.
475.74 -> The real problem though is that the government
currently has no means of backfilling everything
480.3 -> that's been sent to Ukraine, prompting at
least one MP to comment that the military
484.74 -> could only fight for five days, and not
defend the home islands from invasion.
489.12 -> So how in the world would Britain
aid its allies in a third world war?
492.72 -> For decades after the Cold War, Britain figured
that it's role in any future conflict would
497.76 -> be largely in the air and at sea, prompting
its biggest budget cuts to fall squarely on
502.2 -> the army. Its fleet of Challenger 2 main
battle tanks has shrunk to 213 vehicles,
506.88 -> but that fleet is facing even more cuts
down to just 148 Challenger 3s by 2030.
512.34 -> But this won't be a new tank acquisition, but
merely an upgrade program of its Challenger 2-
517.98 -> so despite some increased capability, the
overall program is a net loss for British
522.66 -> ground forces. Given typicaly readiness rates
of around 75%, by 2030 Britain may have just
528.48 -> over 100 tanks ready for war at any given
time. At even just half the loss rates of
533.34 -> those experienced in Ukraine, Britain would be
out of tanks within a month or two of fighting.
537.9 -> Its 721 infantry fighting vehicles are facing the
prospect of similar cuts as the army transitions
543.72 -> from the Warrior IFV to the Ajax IFV. It plans
to acquire 589 Ajaxes by 2029, and it's almost
552 -> certain that the total fleet will not return
to even the 721 Warriors currently in service.
556.86 -> The nation has a pathetic artillery force mostly
made up of 126 105mm howitzers. Significant
564.24 -> reductions to its self-propelled guns has shrunk
its force to just 89 155mm AS-90s, with 32 of
572.04 -> these transferred to Ukraine. The transfers are
expected to be replaced by the swedish built BAE
577.08 -> Archer, which trades armor for mobility, and
the UK already has 14 in service. The Archer
582.66 -> is a stop-gap purchase though as the army figures
out what vehicle will ultimately replace its AS-90
587.82 -> fleet. Its rocket artillery forces number
at just 44, and are in the process of being
592.62 -> upgraded to fire the American GMLRS extended
range and Precision Strike Missile by 2025.
597.96 -> To support its ground forces, the British Army has
44 attack helicopters, with 2 of these being an
603.57 -> upgraded Apache variant, the AH-64E. This fleet is
actually expected to grow however, with a total of
610.32 -> 50 new helicopters on order to replace its aging
fleet of license-built Apaches procured in 2004.
616.02 -> The once legendary Royal Navy has
suffered significant cuts as well. At sea,
620.76 -> Britain operates 4 ballistic missile
submarines as part of its nuclear triad,
624.6 -> as well as 6 nuclear attack submarines.
The old Trafalgar class is being retired,
629.58 -> with the HMS Triumph slated to be
decommissioned soon as it's replaced
633.24 -> with the new Astute class. Britain has plans to
purchase 7 of these nuclear powered submarines,
638.22 -> but as focus shifts to the Indo-Pacific and
a war with China, more purchases are under
643.26 -> consideration. However, given how long it
takes to build ships and subs, it's likely
647.94 -> already too late for any future purchases
to do anything but replace combat losses.
652.08 -> In 2017, the HMS Queen Elizabeth was comissioned,
marking a triumphant return of the Royal Navy's
657.78 -> aviation arm to the world's oceans. Now the
UK operates two of the Queen Elizabeth class
662.4 -> aircraft carriers, with each carrying a maximum
of 36 F-35s along with support rotary aviation.
668.64 -> The largest vessels ever built for the Royal
Navy, they pale in comparison with the 75 to 90
674.1 -> combat jets that a US supercarrier can field,
and which China eventually hopes to match,
679.32 -> but are a significant move back to becoming a
significant naval power. The F-35 also gives
685.2 -> the UK an outsized punch against any potential
adversary- namely China or Russia- though the
690.54 -> nation has been heavily criticized by the
US after one of its former F-35 pilots was
695.04 -> discovered to have been contracted as
a 'consultant' by the Chinese military.
699.24 -> Its carriers are supported by 6 Type 45
destroyers, which are primarily equipped for
704.82 -> an air defense role to protect friendly ships
from enemy aircraft and missiles. These are
709.2 -> supplemented by 11 Type 23 frigates, which while
being guided missile frigates, lack significant
714.66 -> punching power against surface vessels. Instead,
the Type 23 are optimized for anti-submarine
720.06 -> warfare, leaving the anti-ship role largely up
to its attack submarines or aircraft carriers.
724.8 -> The Royal Air Force meanwhile finds itself in
dire straits. Its air fleet has shrunk to just
729.96 -> 137 Eurofighter Typhoons and 29 F-35s, which
are jointly operated by its Fleet Air Arm. This
736.5 -> leaves the Royal Air Force with basically just the
Typhoon, and those are already being scrapped with
741.48 -> the fleet shrinking by the year. The RAF does have
plans to procure between 60 to 80 total F-35s,
747.36 -> though it'll be sharing about half of these
with the navy. The Tempest, now in development,
751.56 -> is expected to make up the bulk of the Royal Air
Force by replacing the current fleet of Typhoons,
756.18 -> but given the history of British arms procurement,
the Royal Air Force's outlook is grim as it
761.16 -> attempts to defend British interests with a fleet
of less than 200 combat aircraft. To make matters
766.38 -> worse, the RAF has no operational advanced early
warning and control aircraft, with an order for
772.08 -> five being reduced to just three and expected
to be delivered in 2024. It does still maintain
777.9 -> 9 Posiedon anti-submarine and anti-ship aircraft
however, as would be expected given its duty to
783.72 -> defend the UK-Greenland-Iceland line against
Russian ships and submarines in case of war.
788.94 -> So how would the UK fight a third world
war with such an anmenic military?
794.04 -> Britain's role in a major future conflict
would be relegated to a support role,
798.6 -> a serious demotion from its frontline role
in both World Wars. In a European conflict,
803.34 -> Britain's biggest contribution to NATO would
be its role as an unsinkable aircraft carrier
807.84 -> for American long range strike aircraft. With no
dedicated bombers of its own, and such a small
813.48 -> air fleet of which only about half would ever
realistically be operational at any one time,
817.56 -> British fighters would be best used to ensure
the skies over and around the British isles
822.24 -> remain safe for allied aircraft- specially
for big American bombers like the B-52.
827.46 -> Its navy's greatest contribution would be in
securing the all-important UK-Greenland-Iceland
832.92 -> line, a picket line stretching across the
North Atlantic. Russian vessels would seek
837.48 -> to cross this picket in order to attack American
shipping in the Atlantic, though given the state
842.34 -> of the Russian navy today, only its submarine
forces would pose any threat. These Britain is
847.38 -> well suited to tracking and destroying given
its fleet of Poseidon aircraft and frigates.
851.7 -> Britain would struggle to provide significant
firepower for a land task force, and its forces
856.56 -> would likely be relegated to a reserve force,
to be held back and used in case of enemy
861.12 -> breakthrough. As it would take weeks for Britain
to fully meet its NATO commitments, its army would
865.68 -> be important in relieving combat exhausted
or depleted NATO forces from other nations.
870.06 -> But lacking significant firepower, Britain's
days as a frontline force are well in the past.
875.16 -> As the next major global conflict is likely to
occur in the the Pacific against an increasingly
880.38 -> belligerent China, Britain would be even
more hard pressed to seriously support its
885 -> American and Australian allies. However, a
2023 UK-Japan defense agreement has greatly
890.7 -> increased ties between the two nations, and
allows for the deployment of their militaries
894.72 -> within each other's nations. While small, a UK
air or ground commitment in Japan would still
900.12 -> be significant given its modern capabilities-
and in a war over Taiwan, one can never have
905.46 -> enough combat jets or ground-based air
defenses protecting Japanese air fields.
909.6 -> Its attack submarines could pose a significant
headache for China, given their extreme stealth
914.4 -> and lethality against a People's Liberation Army
Navy that is still lagging significantly behind
919.38 -> in anti-submarine warfare. Here Britain's small
undersea forces would have an outsized effect
924.06 -> in helping the US and allies shut down Chinese
shipping around Taiwan- though the Strait itself
929.16 -> is too shallow for safe operation of attack
submarines. Of its two aircraft carriers,
933.54 -> it's likely only one would be operational at any
one time, but an additional, if smaller, carrier
939.54 -> in the Pacific would be a significant boost to US
efforts to prevent a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
944.76 -> Its days as a global military power are
firmly behind it, and its military is in
949.68 -> a state of crisis- but Britain can still provide
significant assistance to any allied effort in the
954.78 -> next major war. In the end, it's exactly these
allies that are Britain's greatest strength,
958.98 -> though the nation must ask itself if it
hasn't been overly reliant on both its
963.06 -> nuclear arsenal and the power of its
allies to guarantee its own security.
966.6 -> Now go watch France's World War III
Plan, or click this other video instead!
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkwhzs-DOyw