(ANSA-AFP) - LONDON, JUN 28 - The new head of the British
Army warned Tuesday it must mobilise in response to the threat
posed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, invoking the Allies'
struggle against Nazi Germany. Patrick Sanders, a general who
became the army's top officer this month, said Moscow's attack
on its neighbour represented "a clear and present danger" to
Western "principles of sovereignty and democracy". In a
wide-ranging speech to mark taking over the role, he argued
Britain's armed forces must react by accelerating modernisation
plans and immediately increasing battle readiness alongside NATO
allies. "This is our 1937 moment," Sanders told an audience at
the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) military think-tank,
referring to Western allies' struggle to subdue Nazi Germany's
aggression in the run-up to World War II. "We're not at war. We
must act rapidly so that we aren't drawn into one through a
failure to contain territorial expansion." Adding it is
"dangerous" to assume Russian aggression will end with Ukraine,
he predicted Moscow will pose "an even greater threat to
European security after Ukraine than it was before". (ANSA-AFP).
© Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved