Re-supply of the weapons the
UK has given Ukraine will take “several years,” the chief of armed
forces warned today.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said
the lack of industrial capacity in Britain meant replenishing supplies – such
as N-Laws and Brimstone missiles – would not happen anytime soon.
The chief of the defense staff
gave testimony to colleagues and also expressed concern that it could be “five
to ten years” before the UK could deploy a division with the capabilities to
fight alongside US forces.
The UK has supplied Ukraine
with a wide range of weapons since the Russian invasion in February, including
anti-tank missile launchers, armored vehicles and anti-aircraft systems.
Boris Johnson has been hailed
by Volodymyr Zelensky as one of Kiev’s staunchest supporters, with reports of
troops shouting ‘God Save the Queen’ as they target Putin’s forces.
However, replacing those
weapons has become a concern for some in Parliament.
On June 16, former head of the
Royal Navy Lord West described the UK’s arms stocks as “inadequate” and called
on the country to start producing weapons “almost 24/7”.
Admiral Radakin acknowledged
that the ‘rate of expenditure’ of weapons in Ukraine and the ‘industrial
capacity to replenish’ had already become ‘a major problem’.
Increased demand for arms,
both in the UK and in Europe, together with the decline in Britain’s industrial
capacity in recent decades and current supply chain problems have exacerbated
these problems.
Admiral Radakin said the
government needed to work with defense suppliers and had already invited 12
leading companies to Downing Street for talks.
But he added: “We’re talking
years because you can’t whistle a fast production line with modern weapons.
“Yes, you can produce grenades
and artillery, but even at the not super-advanced end, even at the humble end
of an NLAW (anti-tank) weapon, it will take a few years to get back to our
original stock. †
When asked by former Liberal
Democrat Leader, Lord Campbell, whether the UK could deploy a full division,
Admiral Radakin said it was possible but said the armed forces would increase
its ability to return to a “much more orthodox divisional strength” including
longer-range weapons and modern vehicles.
He said, “We can put out a
division, but the division we want to put out is a much better one in five to
ten years, with the capabilities America would like to have to fight alongside
America.”
