UK Would Run Out Of Ammo, Weapons Within Months If War Breaks Out With Russia

A UK defence chief admitted that the nation would run out of ammunition and equipment in less than two months in a war against Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

The deputy chief of defence staff, lieutenant general Sir Rob Macgowan, admitted that Tory defence committee member Mark Francois was right when he said that the UK will not be able to fight Russia ‘for more than a couple of months in a full-on shooting war’ because it does not have the ammunition and the reserves of equipment.

“We couldn’t fight (Vladimir) Putin for more than a couple of months in a full-on shooting war because we don’t have the ammunition and the reserves of equipment to do it, that’s true isn’t it?” Mark Francois said, according to the Daily Mail.

“We’ve been very clear that the money we’re spending on munitions at the moment … which is significant, does not meet, in all areas, the threats that we face. We’ve been clear that we need to spend more money, above the programme of record, on what we call integrated air missile defence,” lieutenant general Sir Rob Macgowan said.

Lt Gen Sir Rob Macgowan, however, insisted that the UK was ‘ready for war’ but not for an enduring war against Russia.

However, defence minister Grant Shapps said any such conflict, if it occurs, would see the UK fight alongside Nato allies who could collectively outgun Russia.

“For people watching, and hearing that the UK isn’t ready for war exclusively with Russia, it’s important to understand that because we are in Nato and (mutual defence agreement) Article 5 exists, we would never be in that situation,” Shapps was quoted as saying by Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, UK PM Rishi Sunak told the UK Parliament Liaison Committee that ‘work needs to be done on defence production’. “The last year or so has made it clear that there is work to be done on defence industrial production, and that’s not a UK-only concern, it is shared by all our allies across Europe and NATO,” Sunak told the committee.

He said the UK’s defence spending is expected to be around 2.3% of the GDP next year but will reach 2.5% of the GDP ‘when the conditions allow’.

Shapps said he had lobbied Sunak and the UK chancellor to exchequer Jeremy Hunt for more cash in the budget, but failed to secure an increase.