On the bunker drill, the former minister said that all secretaries of state - not just defence - have a desk and a bed ready for them in a bunker.
This is not so they are able to survive a nuclear attack “for re-populating our islands after the apocalypse” but “because their departments are as integral to the war effort as the MoD”.
Because it’s precisely these politicians who should be repopulating after a potential apocalypse /s
Alternate title: “Former military guy can only think about conflict and makes war mongering comments to scare politicians and population”
Europe’s military production is severely degraded. Russia looks like a paper tiger now, but they can still pump out ammunition for troops and artillery at a rate Europe can’t.
This exactly, if you believe that the enemy is completely incompetent, you will get stung by that. Look at the reality of war, lack of ammunition means all those high end toys are stuck doing nothing. Look in which direction yhe front is going.
NATO is left buying ammunition from non eu countries for Ukraine when they need it 6 months ago, would that be happening if we had stockpiles of the stuff for ourselves? Just how much is left for NATO to use for self defense?
The high tech toys deployed by NATO don’t rely on conventional artillery nearly to the extent it’s utilized in Ukraine, and it’s farcical to claim as much.
So just how much ammunition do we have, keep in mind both Russians and Chinese have militatries well over a million soldiers, thousands of tanks and other ivf. How many anti tank weapons does NATO have left? How many himars missiles? And if we do have this stock, why are we not giving it to Ukraine and repying on purchasing shells half way around the world and even then making promised to pay for it but forking over nothing yet?
They need our help now, not tomorrow. This makes me wonder just how much stock of ammunition do we have for all those high tech toys.
Artillery has been the focus of headlines because the military doctrine of Russia and Ukraine relies heavily upon its use. While conventional stockpiles of shells are depleted, it’s production will increase over time and will occur independent of additional military preparation. This is not the ammunition for the bulk of NATO forces.
NATO has an entire modern arsenal of weaponry that is incompatible with Ukraine’s weapons, waiting within arms reach. They’re in talks to acquire F-16s, which are considerably dated compared to the modern stealth fighters, not to mention the stocks of munitions. Ukraine received 31 Abrams tanks. The US alone has thousands, with large numbers considered for retirement due to their age. Not to mention the numbers of infantry fighting vehicles and crews that have trained on all of these systems for years, unlike the rushed training afforded by Ukrainian troops.
They’re already relying on mass conscription to fill their ranks, rapidly approaching the bottom of the barrel.
Yes what NATO has given Ukraine up to now has been largely stockpiles of old stuff. That doesn’t change the lack of production problem. The raw materials are largely the same between primers, powder, brass, and lead. Europe lacks the ability to produce new or old stuff in sufficient quantity for a real war.