The head of the British Army has warned that Britons will soon be asked to accept sacrifices so the country can prioritise defence and security. General Sir Roly Walker said political leaders would start a "frank conversation" with the public about the risks Britain faces, and that the days of not having to think about war were over.
Key points
- General Sir Roly Walker is the Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army.
- He spoke to about 700 soldiers of 1 (UK) Division at Catterick Garrison, Forces News reports.
- He said citizens "have got to consent to sacrifices to prioritise defence and security."
- An Ipsos poll found half of Britons would be unwilling to fight in a conflict, but more than half support higher defence spending.
- Chancellor John Healey is due to set out spending plans in the budget on October 28.
What the general said
According to Forces News, Gen Walker told the soldiers that "the business of soldiering is coming back into the nation's psyche."
"There was a time that our nation didn't want to think of a time when it would need its soldiers to fight in a war," he said. "But as anyone who is studying the trajectory of world affairs, and the geopolitical system within which our nation sits and thrives, will realise there is extreme jeopardy in the world at the moment."
He then described what he expects from politicians:
"Indeed very soon, the political leaders of this country will start to have a frank conversation with the citizens of this country, about just what is going on and where the risk lies, and what the nation must need to be prepared to do."
"They're going to try and explain to our citizens that our citizens have got to consent to sacrifices to prioritise defence and security," he added. The public "need to understand what we do for them, they need to consent to allow us to do that – which means sacrifices by them – and ultimately, we're going to need them to back us."
A message to young soldiers
The audience included soldiers from the Parachute Regiment and other units that make up 1 (UK) Division, the Army's light, high-readiness global response force. Gen Walker told them directly that the burden of any future fight would fall on them.
"There is no other environment to my mind where the burden of fighting is placed squarely on the shoulders of our most inexperienced and junior soldiers, than in our land forces," he said. "And I'm looking at you because it's on you that the defence of this nation will rest, if ultimately, you are called to fight."
What the public thinks
The speech came as new polling showed a divided public. According to Forces News, Ipsos found that half of the UK population would not, under any circumstances, go to war for Britain. The same poll found that more than half supported increased defence spending. Of those backing an increase, 37% said the money should come from other government budgets, and 36% supported higher general taxation.
The politics of paying for defence
How to fund stronger defences is becoming a central dilemma for ministers, Forces News notes. In September, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting told the Labour Party Conference that higher defence spending "comes with choices and trade-offs," while arguing that "you don't make your country stronger, by making our people poorer."
His predecessor at the Ministry of Defence, John Healey, is now Chancellor and is due to set out his spending plans in the budget on October 28. That will be the first big test of how much the government is prepared to shift money towards defence, and from where.
Context: some headlines described the speech as Britain "preparing for war." The general did not announce any mobilisation or new policy. He was describing a coming public debate about priorities and spending.
Why it matters
It is unusual for a serving army chief to speak so directly about asking the public for sacrifices. His comments set the tone for the budget and for a wider national debate: how much Britain should spend on defence, what it should give up to pay for it, and how much the public is willing to support the armed forces if a conflict comes. Readers should watch the October 28 budget for the first concrete answers.
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