I’m a veteran from the 80’s and 90’s, people tend to draw the wrong conclusion from the analysis of our military. While weakness and incompetence are immediate concerns, there is a much bigger problem The real threat is the ideological purge of British values from the government and its institutions, including our armed forces. It is purging all forms of patriotism, which is what we are witnessing
@@johnhudghton3535yes, in WW2 my grandad fought genocidal, master-race fascists. Now with the, "2030 roadmap for UK-Israeli bilateral relations" we are allied with them.
Totally agree. I think it's also worth mentioning that over the last 20-30 years many young men who have a sense of adventure and that particular mindset have left the UK to go to Australia, NZ and other countries. We seem to be left with a lot of the wrong "DNA".
Has naval warfare not absolutely changed numerous times this century and can the UK afford to keep up? We've gone from ridiculously expensive air carriers being the way a nation projects power, to dealing with the dreadnaught effect of small unmanned naval drones which can overwhelm a naval force if used in large waves, at comparatively a cheap cost. More fundamentally id ask after Brexit and our shrinking world influences, are we going towards isolationism? If we are, in a world of fast terrifying missiles flying faster and higher than we can currently deal with, why would we invest in anything but the air force / national defenses? By the time a foreign army was to arrive on our shores it is already too late. I guess a contradiction to this would be our current stances over Israel and Ukraine where it seems we are still very much invested in global politics but it does feel like this is getting less important.
As an ex British Soldier, I don't think we should have anything bigger than a 'home defence force'. Let's be honest. Our time as a super power has long gone and even with a huge injection of money, our young men don't want to fight and die for a country that is perceived to hate them. If I had my time again, would I fight for my country ? Absolutely not ! Send our uninvited guests first and then I'd consider it.
Completely disagree. This civvie idea that soldiers don't want to fight is false. I was an infantryman from 2006-2023 and my generation enjoyed our fighting tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, the only time most of us felt truly alive. As for the size of the Army, we should be able to field a Corps size Army group with our population and defence budget. We cant do everything in war anymore but we could specialise our Army far better then we do.
@@joelyboy7 I'd normally agree but would you trust this Government or the past few Governments not to use that Armed forces not to aggressively pursue more wealth and power at the expense of hundreds or thousands of young men's lives ? Look at Russia/Ukraine ? A power and money grab !
I reckon we should do it how a lot of the tiny NATO countries have done it for a long time namely a small absolutely crack defensive army and a large reserve/TA force. I often don't say it because I'm now closer to 40 than 30 so wouldn't be walking the walking as opposed to talking the talking if it ever did become mandatory but that said I'd personally be up for some TA supporty stuff. It's one reason why little countries like Finland and Estonia are given wide births (obviously there's others like geography and alliance memberships etc) but the fact that the almost entirety of the male population is competently trained in the basics of weapon usage, teamwork and communication, fitness and other procedures is a pretty big deterrence in of itself. A small defensive force also doesn't preclude 'peacekeeping coalitions' abroad, although it does somewhat optimistically rely on different countries cutting through bullshit and collaborating with one another in a reasonably timely fashion.
Current US Army soldier here and military history buff --I just want to say that I love your channel for what its worth, the history of so many Army regiments and following their disbandment and forming into other larger regiments across actual centuries of warfare is a rarity you do not often get in military history as a whole. I think the Regiment system is so interesting because it allows for traditions and unity to be communicated to a unit, and for those who care to read the history there is something there for them that will tie them to their purpose as well. I hope you guys sort yourselves out, but you certainly have a habit of doing so. All the best.
you uys are well short too we both need to fight in our own countries again im no racist but its time to sort this stuff out lets all go to the hot places lol
It’s several small problems ie; 1) recruiting problems 2) Lower standards 3) Less manpower 4) Low pay 5) Sub-standard tech and SLA/SFA accom 6) low equipment and ammo levels 7) inadequate equipment 8) Over tasked 9) Lack of good leadership 10) handicapped by woke and useless policies 11) Poor procurement process and corruption
I honestly don't know why the government are still using capita, because 2 of my friends who where going to join the army got there applications auto rejected for no reason they tried appealing them but capita said there's nothing we can do. there was also some one who wanted to become a RN officer but capita rejected him because he didn't have A levels but he had 2 degrees. So I wonder how many recruits the armed forces could get if the government got rid of capita.
Because they aren't recruiting to fight a foreign threat, they are recruiting those who will fight a "domestic threat" aka they are turning inwards, like armies in countries such as Iran. Where the people pose a bigger threat to the powers then foreign governments.
your right were starving the population this happened just before4 the first world war do u see a tend here war capitalism and multi culyures out together = armagrddon i hate to adnit this but enoch powell was right aparheid is the answer and i hate saying that
We will never ever be able to fight any major conflict . The only reason we was able to stay and fight ww1 and ww2 was due to the cannon fodder we used from our colonies . If it wanst for our imperial colonies we’d have tapped out within the first year if that. The English was terrified of Germany in ww2 it even caused us to delay in sending support for Poland .
@@exotikz7905 And it took months to organise the BEF. At that time, the British army was the only army in the world that didn't use any horses at all. The only mechanised army in 1940. It didn't help that all the Matilda 1s were sent on one ship, and their guns on another! They went into combat with painted broom sticks mounted as guns, and the tank commander fired a rifle from the turret!
@@exotikz7905 We fight with allies, be it NATO or a US-led operation. We have participated in major conflicts that have existed since WW2, without colonial troops.
Outsourcing has been a disaster for the military. So much of the RAF have been taken over that the RAF is essentially incapable of deploying in an meaningful sense. Too many jobs previously done by deployable servicemen are now 9-5 employees of outsourcing companies.
Why is it, do you think, that all types of government contracts ALWAYS end up costing infinitely more than the original estimate? It isn't incompetence. Follow the money and it always ends up filling the same pockets over and over again. BTW. The USA have just passed a bill allowing their armed forces to use lethal force against its own citizens. How long until the UK follows suit?
@@anthonydoyle7370 The intent of a system is what it does and our procurement system fucks the average soldier and makes such and such person rich so the intent is to do just that.
It is a joke. We were grounded for 2 full days because our Babcock "firefighters" couldnt be bothered to do the relevant online learning to keep them current for the airfield.
I think steel production and the number of factories able to be converted into steel producing factories for wartime manufacturing is in a dire state too.
"I think steel production and the number of factories able to be converted into steel producing factories for wartime manufacturing is in a dire state too." While i don't exactly keep track, last i heard was that they were shutting down due to the high energy costs. As in shutting down permanently. UK was literally looking to have ZERO steel mills left. That was last year and i haven't seen any updates so it might have changed, but even just the fact that it came up as a likely future is beyond bad.
@@Belisarius536 That pretty much describes it well. And we have barely seen the beginning of the great deindustrialisation of Europe yet... We spent 2 decades living it up by relying on cheap and easy imports from Russia, energy, oil, gas, raw materials, food, fertilizers and even some various budget whitewares and other consumer goods... And now we've suddenly and abruptly disconnected from that. Germany lost 30% of its industry in 2022... 1/5 of the EUs papermills closed down 22/23. Aluminium plants, closed down(as they require huge amounts of electricity). And of course, a lot of empty shelving in the local stores. Before 2022, i had almost never seen even a single note in a store with something like "sorry but our supplier is currently unable to deliver this product". But in 2022, suddenly my local store had those in empty spaces on pretty much every shelf, literally hundreds of things, basic foodstuff, not available. And even today, there's still dozens of those notes. While the local bakery went bankrupt because the local prices for some things jumped up to 90% since start of 2022. And yet, we're still buying the exact same oil from Russia, just doing it via a middleman, mostly India... Yeah, those sanctions were 100% kamikaze style.
The Canadian Armed Forces is also in a dire state. It's deeply concerning that across the Anglosphere, and our wider allies, that things are looking rather grim.
Yep. Australia has the same problem. Woke policies deterring young men, and politicians to focused on vote-buying to properly fund the basic costs of a decent military. There's money for tte headline-grabbing items, but not the everyday stuff.
@@redcoathistoryAustralia has recruitment problems but plenty of spending. The AUKUS submarine acquisition was/is an utter fiasco, seemingly instigated because Boris wanted to screw over Macron!
The Ranger Regiment is a bluff. I got out last year and was one of the original Rangers. They copied the green berets because it sounded good, forgetting there an SF unit with an SF budget and are all airborne trained. We in comparison are little better than a light infantry battalion, but worse because the manning of each Bn is half of a light infantry battalion. It was a covert way to cut 2 infantry battalions worth of manpower. The Ranger regiment should have been trained as UKSFs little brother to take some of there tasks off there hands, the Army really didn’t know what it wanted the Rangers to do or where they would fit in.
Why recreate Rangers, who were modeled on the British Army commando, green berets and all? The Light Infantry/Rifles could have been adapted into this, which is literally a classic light infantry role. It's right in line with their long history.
Because the rifles are not up to the task...one of the only Regiments to fail their pre-deployment assessment for Afghanistan and had to do a reshow...that was from a mate of mine who was a WO1 on Optag running it at the time. Ranger Regiments go through decent enough training and testing to get them task & combat ready.
@@MC14may half the blokes in the Rangers are from the Rifles. Even if that’s true about them failing, it will be a battalion, not a whole regiment. As I remember when I was in one of the Parachute battalions failing their pre deployment exercises aswell as a Duke of Lancs battalion. Rangers as a whole seems like a wasted effort on something a normal infantry battalion could do given time to prepare
Our rangers are more in line with the US green berets, training and influencing partner forces as a primary role, rather than an additional role that SAS/SBS used to take on. The closest equivalent we would have to the modern US Rangers would be SFSG.
The fact it's only 60% of what constitutes an army (100K Soldiers) is answer enough. Is the army ready for war? It would help if we had an army to begin with.
I've been out 12 years now and I'd be surprised if we are, in fact it's sad to say that i don't think we have been for a while. We made an admirable effort in Afghanistan, but even there we were only ever able to control a relatively small area of central Helmand, and that was after 5 years of campaigning and a with fair bit of support from the Yanks.
@@waichui2988 Well it is if that country chooses to harbour a terrorist organisation that attacks an ally who then calls in the terms of your alliance.
The MoD is now viewed as an Orwellian tool of globalist propaganda and increasingly, internal repression. They indulge their own Russia obsession at huge risk to Britain and even the world (if nuclear war war were to result). But they do nothing to protect our borders
@@AverageWagie2024 I made a polite comment about George Orwell's warnings coming true in Britain and this channel removed it. So I guess Tobias Ellwoods' dreams of WW3 and all this armybarmy stuff are not related to defending freedom of speech in any way
An excellent episode but we should be in no doubt as to the dire state of the British Army, which has lost its way. Lord Carver once warned that the Army could become a liability to the nation by appearing big enough to encourage politicians to commit it to operations, while being too small to actually achieve anything. We crossed this line at least a decade ago. I have completely lost confidence in the senior leadership, which is careerist and hides behind politicians for many of the disastrous procurement decisions. Added to this, to distract from the Iraq debacle and strategic defeat in Afghanistan, woke ideology was adopted with vigour by these same careerists. The evidence of falling standards is now obvious to everyone.
Sounds accurate, from someone of inside experience? The same parallel and comparison could be made with education both in England and Scotland-despite some positive reforms the teaching profession lost its way, careerists filled top positions by filing and signing up to the woke agendas proliferating first in London, especially in Brent and Islington in the 1980's and then spreading out. Many teachers, students like soldiers have now become unmotivated and both parties are often unaware of our chivalrous heroes of the past who uphold honour and mercy in war e.g. Alfred the Great or despite my admiration for Napoleon and his "old guard", Wellington who, with limited supplies and men, learned through experience, gathering an able group of officers around him defeated Napoleon in the end. We need a new Napoleon and Wellington inside two of our most important institutions working alongside.😮💨🙏💪👨🎓
'Drone warfare could be a way of attracting new recruits ' Yes, because nothing is going to make people join up like the risk of having a grenade dropped on you randomly by omnipresent drones its hard to hide from...
Agree with you but looking at the Russia Ukrainian war all drone operators are under pressure from the opposite side and depending on how many they have e.g the most then the more likely you are going to lose those precious manpower,the drones can be replaced. Every red line that nato and America broke in the war has done nothing to stop the Russians they went on a war pact with ramping up production of military equipment whilst everyone else just gave out their old stock of equipment thinking that would do the job.
@@markwebster243 Oh it's much worse than that. UA brigades are by now mostly so depleted, that they're repeatedly forced to send drone ops and artillery crews to hold trenches with a rifle.
Considering the country has already been invaded and its citizens the victims of violence from foreigners we are already at war and nobody has picked up a rifle in the defence of the country. In fact, the military were almost deployed recently against its own people.
I actually fell out with my Son over that. He's serving with the Royal Signals, and i just sent him a quick text saying to remember these are our own people and not to go steaming into them like the police. My Brother is a police sergeant and even he, in private conversations, understands us, but my Son straight up said "I'm not gonna stand there and let em throw bricks at me." It was a bitter fall out, and I have nothing but hatred for these politicians turning brothers against brothers and sons against fathers.
@@NiSiochainGanSaoirse 1) When did they have the Signals on public order duty? 2) Army public order training is not police public order training. It's a lot more aggressive. No he should not just stand there and let anyone throw bricks at him, and neither should the police.
I wanted to join the army, i went when i was 16, i was told my asthma was a bar to joining and needed to be signed off by a doctor and a number of years clear. So i did. But life goes on, by the time i was eligible again, i had a career in agriculture and a family. But, what i can do is support my friends and family who are in, and support those who come back.
mine was a clearance issue.. tried marines, navy and army.. all rejected. working on another masters in military arts. once i finish it ill give RAF a try. At 24 most of the good jobs are already out of range.. and this is for enlisted. i can forget about ever becoming an officer.
@peeratatr1492 I'm sorry what. What makes you think 24 is too old for good jobs or commisioning? Youl have a masters degree for christ sake. When you say "clearance" the only check you do before starting training is either a basic counter terror check or a DBS check u can't recall. Either way whatever made you fail a DBS check or CT check isn't going to go away if you have a masters.
@@lewisallan9963 should’ve been clearer in my comment. When I mentioned clearance, I was referring to the ability to hold a security clearance.. not a counter-terror check or DBS check, both of which Id passed. The issue is that I’m non-commonwealth, despite living in the UK for 13 years. I’ve even spoken to the defence attaché about this, and they confirmed that the system isn’t designed for someone like me it doesn’t fit me into a specific category. ur right about the fact that more education isn’t going to fix my problem… but i have to try right? The system should be based on merit but that’s not the world we live in. What sucks even more is ive seen literal foreign royalty attending places like RMAS and it made me question whether its about talent, skill or merit.. or just political influence (atleast for foreign born recruits anyways i do fine it my civilian life and im comfortable but it doesn’t feel right to stop trying… open to any and all suggestions!
@@lewisallan9963 should've been clearer in my comment. When I mentioned clearance, I was referring to the ability to hold a security clearance.. not a counter-terror check or DBS check, both of which Id passed. The issue is that l'm non-commonwealth, despite living in the Uk for 13 years. I've even spoken to the defence attache about this, and they confirmed that the system isn't designed for someone like me it doesn't fit me into a specific category. ur right about the fact that more education isn't going to fix my problem... but i have to try right? The system should be based on merit but that's not the world we live in. What sucks even more is ive seen literal foreign royalty attending places like RMAS and it made me question whether its about talent, skill or merit.. or just political influence (atleast for foreign born recruits anyways i do fine it my civilian life and im comfortable but it doesn't feel right to stop trying... open to any and all suggestions!
Some our armed forced bigger problems are: - taking far to long for applications of services - getting rid of slightly older but still very usable stuff so we have bugger all reserves -scrapping or selling ships which could be put “in storage” for a dark day - not relying on our selves enough - not making sure we have a arsenal ready at all times for a medium war, possibly against peers. There’s so many our government don’t care anymore
No. As a nation we’re sick of war. There’s been a continuous stream of conflicts since 1945 (mainly in support of the USA) and no one wants to bury more children. Just defend ourselves from conventional, cyber and terror attacks. The EU can choose to do the same, or not. And we’ll have a generation who experience peace. Something that has never happened in my lifetime.
I'm Civilian street City and Guilds Motor Vehicle Engineer, and a Ex TA REME, I've taken 2 things from my time as a BOAR, 1st was a Russian Tank Engines didn't have paper oil filters, Second Pencils will write in Zero Gravity, Tech is over rated, A UZI is only a piece of metal if you don't have ammunition for it,
Using historic army sizes for comparisons is a bit of a tricky one. Up until the mid-19th century (ish), the overwhelming majority of the army was actual fighting strength, now most personnel are in support roles.
He is one for you my 23 son was court marshaled for the offence of fighting where he and a number of male soldiers were fighting each other , a female Lcpl got involved and was struck once in the mouth injuries consisted of a fat lip, pea size blood blister inside her lip. He was kicked out the army and sent to civilian jail for 3 months all because he struck a female. Where the equality in that . Not one of the male soldiers made a complaint. This sones up the state of our armed forces. God help us if we ever have to go to war.
So your son was sent to jail for assaulting a female work colleague. And you think that's OK... Additionally he assaulted an NCO..to be honest if you permit that, then any one can assault anyone.
@@stevewilliams2691 you completely missed the point there didn't you all you saw was hitting a female, The point I was making was he and Male soldiers including male NCOs were fighting, there was also another two females involved in the fight but this particular Female Nco decided to get involved and was only punched once in the face not multiple times once only and she made a complaint no one else did only her . The point I was making was an equality point . Do you think any one we go to war with will give a dam about oh you that's a female no they won't the will rape her in front of the lads to break their resistance as the russian have done in Ukraine and the hamas terrorist have done to the female soldiers they took hostage from the border posts . All information on this is openly available , or are you one of these people who lives in a soft fluffy bubble.
Regarding the Challenger 3 and Ajax, all these fancy target target acquisition bells and whistles don't mean a thing in modern war any more! The war in Ukraine has shown a cheap FPV piloted drone or loitering AI drones, such as the lancet, can take out any armoured tank or vehicle in the world and the Challenger 2s, Abrams and Leopards have all been taken out by drones in the war (I don't mean the whole lot of course just each variant has had casualties from drones). We are not even considering FPV drones and bomber drones - and their countermeasures - and we are going to get left well behind. China is taking notes from Russia. It seems we are not from Ukraine. We should be forming FPV schools now to train up drone pilots. The army probably arrogantly thinks it is beneath us and only for the uncouth savages in the East.
Great video, and a lot of important topics raised. I'm old enough to remember BAOR and the Falklands, and no way could the UK do that today. It's not the men, they remain, as they have often been, real gutter fighters. When people see "70 thousand men", they fail to understand that most of those men and women are not front-line combat troops. Cooks, Bottle-washers, transport drivers, clerks, laundry personnel, office staff, warehouse staff, MPs, the bloke who grooms the regimental goat. They're all necessary, but really, I agree, the Uk would struggle to put a full-sized combined arms Division into the field and keep it there. Under-manned, under-paid, undersupported. Just like the police, the NHS,et., al. Bloody shameful really.
It's all a bit hush-hush but a confidential source has told me that the Women's Institute are now training the militant Brownies how to fight with Ninja crochet hooks and flower arranging scissors. Keep it under your hat, ssshhhhush.
I had this exact argument on another channel where I clearly stated that Britain had never had an adequate army at the beginning of any major conflict. However the reserve forces had always bought us time to build a large land force, this is not really an option in modern warfare. If you served tours in Afghan alongside British military units Chris then you are a veteran, you just carried a camera instead of a rifle. Great video mate, keep them coming.
The youth arent fighting lad, they have been utterly shafted. They hate the country and tbh i dont blame them, Forever lions led by donkeys. If that first echelon is lost we wont even have any experienced people left to train civvys. The ruskies are losing 1000+ a day, even if we lost half those numbers we would only have 160 days to raise a force of hundreds of thousands. Its not happening imo.
Gen Richard Sheriff, ex DSACEUR, said recently that the Army could not deploy and sustain more than a brigade, Maj Gen James Martin, GOC of 3 Div, said his command was neither fully deployable nor capable of war fighting and Gen Nick Houghton, ex CDS, said the Army is now little more than a boutique force. A pitiful situation all around.
Really enjoyed the modern military video! Navy, RAF video would be great, plus special forces. You touched on the Rhodesian bush war in this video but that would make a great video too. Keep it up
Well this is my 2 pence worth: On the Rangers it is a new regiment however its made up of old battalions. 1 Scots for example (the oldest battalion in the regular army) was merged into them (losing their Royal Scots borders title and Scottish identity in the process). But I agree there was no need to form a new regiment in fact I think its a role that the Parachute Regiment could have been better suited for. We need more reserves but we also need to be careful that increasing their numbers doesn't come at the expense of the regular formations. Reserves are an important to supplement regular units, they are not a way to expand the army on the cheap. The reserves suffer from much of the same issues regarding recruiting as the regular. But there is also a cultural issue if we want reservists to do the same sort of training as regulars. Consideration needs to be given to things like sports contests and courses. For a reservist balancing what is his/her second job with their civilian employment and family a lengthy promotion course held by a regular unit is not appealing neither is a short or segmented one run on weekdays. That said when reservists do deploy alongside regulars it should be noted they have volunteered to do so and thus it is not uncommon for reserves to be more motivated to get the job done than their regular counterpart, they can also be a recruitment avenue for the regulars. No doubt Challenger 3 is a great bit of kit but its just not enough of them. While Leopard isn't as advanced I wonder if we might have been able to have more tanks if we phased in Leopard or even just more Challenger 2s. that said we do have older tanks in storage that can be reactivated but this isn't a solution to current number shortages (I question why we gave Ukraine Challenger 2s when we have plenty Challenger 1s in storage) AJAX has been a disaster but hopefully now we are on the right path, though I do wonder if we might be better building new examples of older kit, like warriors or scimitars. On the other hand I like the look of some of the German and Swedish vehicles we are buying and it makes sense to use the same sort of things our allies use if we want to integrate with them on the battlefield or even from a logistics viewpoint have shared supply chains. I would say the RA definitely needs to expand to the point where it should be one of the largest corps in the army. Not only regarding artillery support to troops on the ground, but things like air defence and even small drones (spotting and target acquisition) fall within the remit of the RA. If I was to take any of the drones used in Ukraine and mass produce them it would be the Australian made PPDS. Its a cheap military grade drone (as opposed to a modified drone made for the civilian market, which also have their ureses) that despite being labelled the cardboard drone has proved simple, robust, capable, energy efficient and even easy to modify or repair. I don't think Labour has a good record on the Armed Forces but in fairness neither does the Conservatives. Having gave ourselves a stern talking to I think we are now on the right path (all be it at the start of the path) the important thing is that we stay on it. I think we would struggle to defend the entire Falklands, however we weren't in a good place in 1982 either and like then I think the fighting spirit and professionalism of the British warrior would eventually win the day should the need arise again.
The Para's are arguably the best "hammer" in the British Army so probably the worst unit to pick to train and work with local forces. Not that they couldn't do it, they just have a completely different mindset.
@@military_misfit More of a knife as a QRF than a hammer. The hammer is the armoured infantry. We've seen what happens when modern Airborne units fight mech infantry unsupported, didn't go well for the VDV in Hostomel airport.
thats a lot to read buddy were outnumbersd by a lot is enough to say do you see a trend here the consevative party destroy everythubg our abilty to eat our abilty to care for peoplke ou abiltty to provide good services america uis britaion i9n a large scale these country club pigs are destoying the what they xcall sheep i think youll fin that th shheep are who makes up the army so i asny are dogs its tyhe working class soldier its time to revolt agaionst our own politicians surely trunp is commie now thats something that the usa would never put up with
American veteran here. My family fought against the British and served with you as well. Over 200 years of history. My boys are entering the age where the service talk was supposed to be. My father asked me if I had “the talk” with them. I told him that our family has bleed, died and left our sanity all over the world, but could not see the point in continuing since the Afghanistan debacle. My father agreed. I have spoken to many other ex servicemen. They feel the same. We are tired of serving the Military Industrial Complex and senseless wars. So, The USA is in general out of the world from what I have heard and as far as it goes, I don’t want my son’s blood spilled for whatever our country is. You’re on your own.
As an outsider, I think you guys you'll be fine as long as you fix your recruitment and "culture" issues first. In contrast to the Armed forces of the Philippines(AFP), in 2020 was said to be around 150,000 personnel. Thats all branches and were potentially going against China. Our Army is like 100.000 out of that total. The last time we fought a superpower was Japan in WW2 and we were technically a US territory then. Now were still bros with the US but our lack of tech and power alone wont do anything offensive to China Im afraid, we get bullied in our territory after all.
Yeah the Philippines have become such a sad nation and should’ve never gotten their independence so quickly. A couple decades of being a colony would’ve done wonders for your country and you’d be more in line with Japan and South Korea
IM SORRY TO SAY THIS I CAN SEE 4 DIVIDED NATIONS HERE GET RID OF WESTMINTER A LOT OF PROBLEMS SOLVED I DUNNO THE SAINTS OF MIODERN FREEDONM COUD FIUX All of this imagine walking binto a shop and not paying imagine working and not having to pay for anything ever imagine country full of kings and queens the luxurywe can all have without money there really is just b2 simple answers to our problem everyone being truly equal and every 5 years t us abd he cokreds swap continents we all stick to our own these three simple policues can fuix the whole world free heathcare too its asw sinple as that and no more maths splitting atoms
I don't feel like it is, even with how warfare has changed, there are older states of even the Kingdom of England that are better prepared for war than the modern UK.
As a British Army veteran, I am ashamed of my part in illegal and unjust wars. I threw my medals in the bin. I'm 40 and extremely fit but if they ever tried calling me up to fight Russia i would tell them to fuck off. I would be surprised if we lasted more than a month before rendered combat ineffective One of my old buddies was "training" Ukrainians. He was embarrassed the whole time because the Ukrainian Army knows how to fight modern war miles better than us 😂
Surely there must be a 'Britishness' factor to integrate with manpower size on one side of the "effectiveness" equation? Look at the following Afghanistan war (2001-2021) KIA numbers: UK =457 France + Germany + Italy + Denmark + Spain + Netherlands + Sweden + Netherlands + Belgium = 314 The UK is the only European armed force to wholly immerse itself in front-line operations.
The British Army has NEVER been "ready for war". Historically, it's only been large enough, and professional enough, for it to be able to expand rapidly as war approaches, with the Royal Navy (and latterly Royal Air Force) being large enough to cover the deficit until remedied. 100,000 fighting troops, was for decades, the size of the pre-war force. The problem is now that the 100,000 has become the overall size of the entire Forces rather than simply the Army Component. Rather more serious, in my view, that the reduction in numbers, was the effect of fighting in Iraq II and Afghanistan which moved the fighting away from the wielding of units at Divisional level, in favour of at battalion, if not smaller, level. We've done this before in '41 and '42 in North Africa where battalion-sized forces, usually named after their commander, came up against German units using the full assets of a Division. The results were sobering. Whilst it is true that troops used to operating as at Divisional level may struggle when employed as sub-units, the reverse is not true at all, ie, Officers only used to fighting at a Company or Battalion level will be completely unable to operate at the Divisional level.
A note on the possibility of a falklands war, from what I remember, we weren't in a brilliant position to take back the Falkland's during the last war. We ended up having to convert civilian vessels for military use to transport equipment and men.
I tried to join last year but was rejected for having Autism. The state of Britain since then, I'm so glad i didn't join. Why fight for a country that prioritises illegal immigrants over the British people, and throws mothers, fathers and grandfathers into prison just for having a political opinion?
Those things were the same in 2023, when you tried to join, as 2024. It never stopped you sticking in an application. The Army currently doesn’t accept applications from folk with autism and is very public about that. 30 years ago you probably would have been fine… because loads of folk didn’t get diagnosed.
Solid all around, two points I'd like to add. If the Rangers are to take on a mission set similar to US Special Forces, they make sense if they are supporting proxy wars. There is a school of thought that says direct confrontation with peer or near peer competitors is too dangerous with the threat of nuclear exchange, so proxy wars are the way to go. In this case, having units capable of training proxy forces makes sense. The other point is I suspect your numbers are actually a bit bleaker than you presented. The numbers don't tell the whole story, as the tooth to tail ratio has changed dramatically over the past century. So the number of actual trigger pullers available to engage an enemy is significantly less now when compared to the same number of forces in prior eras.
Britain wrecked itself fighting wars it couldn’t afford in the first half of the 20th century America is doing the same thing this century Col Macgregor Ret
I don't think you mentioned the number of horses kept on the Defence budget for ceremonial purposes. Especially compared to the number of armoured vehicles...
very true the muslim immigrants are here in nos its time to sort thatcklosing our borders aND LOOKING AFTER OUR OWN IS THE ONY ANSWER A THAT MEANS A PROPER UNITED KINGDOM JUST GET RID OF THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND AND WEARE SORTED THE IRISH THE SCITS AND THE NOTHERN ENGLISH CAN DO WOTHOUT THE GREEDY STH ONCE AND FOR ALL PERSONALLY IM FOR THAT WHO WOULD MISS TE SOUTH IOF ENGLAND NOW ALL OF US ARE GOOD PEOPLE APART FROM THE SOUT AND YEAH ILL AGREE MY SOUTHERN ANCESWTORS WERE NO BETTER YOU SEE MY NAME WE WWENT RTO WAR WITH ROBERT THE BRUCE OVER WILLIAM WALLACE AND OULD AGAUN MY CLAN WERE LIEGE LORDS CAND FAIRER PEOPLE TYOU COULD NOT MEET I HAVE SOME EXCEPTIONS BUT MOST OF MY FAMILY WERE THE MOST GENEROU KIND PEOPKLE YTOU COULD MEET AND WHEN I HAVE IT SO AM I
I think the inspiration is rather obvious and I doubt many involved in the process knew much of the history involved. It's not like they've ever cared enough to preserve historic regiments.
The numbers for the British army, in the last few hundred years, didn’t include the Empire’s colonial regiments. “Britain never believed in conscription” - Except we had press gangs and little social welfare, so the military was a means to get a good hot meal, clothes, a penny in your pocket or two and a look in with the ladies. Perhaps coercion, would better describe the British way of recruitment. A lot of the industry, was building ships, cannons and rifles, or muskets for the military, and producing gunpowder, uniforms, boots, equipment, and farms producing foods for the military. Also mining coal for ships, metals and minerals. Or building railways and supply wagons that the military used for transport. So if you weren’t actually in the military, there was a good chance you were working, in supporting and supplying it. Lastly, Britain never had a need for conscription until WW1. Except during all Britain’s medieval history when there was feudalism.
Education which now is totally eclipsed in the Far East. Indeed, I now educate my kids abroad. Cheaper and far better. Not necessarily just the academics, but they learn manners, discipline & behaviour. Moreover they are safe.
Had an application for the Army Reserves that took 9 MONTHS to process to the Assessment Centre stage. Eventually just gave up and moved on, it wasn't worth the wait. This is a common theme amongst a lot of would be joiners.
the British army has some of the best troops in nato , but is underfunded , poorly managed , has had a Poor procurement record for years . they Turn away people For any sort of minor inconvenience to hit Diversity quotas as well in all arms of the military. the air force is strong but too small , the Navy also can punch above its weight but also way too small . Its a shambles , the last 15 years of toxic politics and corrupt state of government has left them with a budget that's not well used and a laughably small military force . With the current state of the world you have to ask yourself whos side the muppets in charge really are on.
Oh, Britain, land of Albion, once guardian of empires and bulwark of Europe, how you have let slip the sinew of your strength, and dulled the edge of your steel. Behold the army, which once shook the world in fear, its warriors tempered by courage and honor. Today, it stands diminished, its form a shadow and its resolve dulled, reduced by ages of complacency and the rust of neglect. _For what, I ask, is an army that lacks the means to fulfill its sacred charge? No longer does it echo with the resolute footfalls of an army prepared for the trials of war. Once, the British soldier was the epitome of bravery and skill, seasoned and tempered in battles across deserts, forests, and mountains. Today, the numbers dwindle, the training falters, and the unity wanes. The force that was once legion in spirit and steadfast in will has become, if not undone, so diminished that its former glory seems but a tale of mythic heroes rather than a reality for our time_
No is the answer! Not since the Victoria era! We struggled in the Boer war and in the World Wars that followed couldn’t fight without significant support from allies. We don’t have the industrial might to finance a large land army of 3-4 million men!
Hot take: Russia has shown to be way weaker than we thought, and burned trough much of its soviet arms reserves. The real peace dividend is about to start not finish. Diplomacy, stability and collaboration should get investments not vehicals and arms.
Problem is though, Russia is not the only enemy out there. We got to watch Argentina does not make a move for the falklands China is a big threat with the manpower and industry to match Russia is starting to win in Ukraine One day your allies could become your enemies.
They are weaker than the entirety of Europe together, but in a war only the eastern Europeans would prove themselves, the UK would have trouble having any major role and all the western militaries would have supply problems due to an inefficient procurement system and emptying stocks to Ukraine. Also the Ukrainians have a mass military, western European states would face outright hostility from the population if they tried to conscript them, it would be politically dangerous as on a minority of the population is loyal to the current political settlement, those without connection to the country they live in would not want to fight for it, and much of the young male population would be more hostile to their own governments than to Russia's, giving them military training and organisation would probably be more dangerous than the Russians, so you would be stuck with cash incentives, conscripting women and civil service battalions. I don't think we are going to see any improvements in this direction given the economic state of the west, the political elites already have extremely heavy financial commitments, increasing the effectiveness of a force from whom political loyalty is their only concern and is liable to be unreliable is not on the cards unless they enter a mania, and if or once they do it should be expected that many of our new soldiers will reserve all their hostility for their own governments.
When was the last time a Brit military unit was on the receiving end of an air strike, a major artillery strike , a major attack by thermobaric weapons in a hostile EW environment? When was the last time the Brit Army took 300 KIA and 1500 WIA in a single days action and had to process that number of casualties in aid stations? When was the last time the Brit military faced off against a serious mechanized attack by high end Tanks and Mech forces without air support? . When was the last time the Brit military had to fight a major land engagement against a peer combat hardened veteran opponent with superior numbers technology and firepower? The answers to those questions should inform you of how effective the Brit Military would be against an opponent like the Russians
I joined the armed forces at the age of 16 out of school. I wouldn’t do it now because my country is not Great Britain, it’s Airstrip One in Orwell’s “1984”
The recruitment issues are not confined to just the U.K. The U.S. military has struggled with recruiting and retention for over a decade. The channel "Task and Purpose" did a great video on this, detailing how it's an issue across many armed forces around the globe. And like anything else, the issue is complex and cannot be boiled down to one or two problems with an easy fix.
Maybe it is compkex, but using complexity as an excuse for not getting the basics right, is dishonest. From what I hear, the demographic that has noped out of the US military - and many others - are the young middle-and-lower class young men who are the bread and butter of ground combat units. Maybe we should stop advertising the military as a suitable career for their baby sisters, and start calling for tough guys who are willing to destroy the enemy regardless of risk and conditions.
@@winstonsmith8482and we have a bunch of desk jockeys pretending to be generals/admirals whos jockeying for a job in policy think-thank and lobby firms…..
im ex forces of 15 years ..left in 2005 ..to be honest i was proud to serve back then but now im ashamed to say i fought for the country we have become ..as for defending our island .....why when the government has just given it away ...and then to let vets once serve be homeless and house complete strangers from lands we were sent to fight why would the young British people want to join to fight for this country in todays time . to be cast aside once used for politics .. defend our country so they can give it away .😢
Reduce the full time army, make the territorials more attractive, give bonuses to employers etc. The army should be protecting our shores not sent to costly and useless conflicts. The Swiss model is for us. When we had an Empire to look after, you can understand it, as we were protecting BRITISH land. Now, we're a 2nd rate European country. (5 yrs regular, 15 yrs territorial)
It’s an interesting time, it’s a new world and it’s rapidly changing, I’m interested in seeing how they deal with the challenge of recruitment. We don’t live in a society where its us VS them anymore and what it means to be British and proud of it is brought into question everyday. I would be really interested in the reasons why younger people of today join the army, there are many reasons to do so, it may just not be as obvious as previous generations.
Maybe there is a need to stop pandering to those "many reaso s" and start advertising for young men who are willing to go "us vs. them". "Us vs. Them " is the reason why you have a military.... not to provide diverse career opportunities
we dont, we arent dying for these people who have ruined the country and forced us to leave if we ever want to buy a house and raise a family. Fuck the UK
i think most youngsters that join up today are avid call of duty players, and simply envision themselves kicking ass on the battlefield. however im sure many hasnt quite accepted there isnt a restart button. when killed.
@@RansomeDavis A high tolerance for risk has been a feature of testosterone-filled young men for far longer than computer games have been around. There’s nothing “toxic” about that.
As a bit of an Historian, I need to remind you that Rangers was originally a British Army unit. in 1755 during what we in the States and Canada refer to as the French and Indian War; AKA The 7 Years War , Major Robert Rogers founded and raised a regiment of Colonial Rangers, amalgamating various Ranging companies. The U.S. Army Rangers take their lineage from this unit. After the 7 Years war, the Ranger Regiment was Amalgimated into the 60th ( Royal American) Regiment which became one of the British Army's rifle regiments
Probably, just don’t expect a draft to go well. We young men have all seen the footage on Reddit and if kier comes with a draft I’ll tell him u go first sir stamer.
Russia's war in Ukraine has starkly put back in to focus the fact that mass and number are still of huge importance in a peer-on-peer conflict. Casualties are in the thousands per day! The rather arrogant assumption in the West/NATO that our superior weapons negated the need for numbers just does not stack up to the evidence in this war. One innovation by Ukraine or Russia has about a 1 month window of effect before the other side nullifies it and copies it. We would find the same with our weapons in a war. Drone warfare has become the number one area of innovation now and the casualties (numbers) it inflicts are quite staggering. However, NATO has always put an emphasis on gaining air superiority in a peer-on-peer conflict. With the F-35 we do have a cutting edge fighter, but for how long? I do wonder what effect a large and advanced air fleet would have in this war? Nevertheless, I think modern war between huge nations will come down to, again like WWI and WWII, attrition and economic might. But yes, I do worry about the readiness and capability of the modern British Armed Forces in a peer-on-peer conflict. I would have to assume it would have to act a bit like the BEF in 1914 whereby it held the line while a sizeable citizen army could be recruited. Could we recruit/conscript modern Brits to fight in a war? I'm not so sure. 80 years of peace and tales of the horrors of world war tend to pacify a people. Even Russia is starting to struggle, after clearing their prisons, and is offering ever larger signing on bonuses and allowing criminal defendants to clear their charges before a court appearance by 'volunteering' for the war, as well as their hefty recruitment from impoverished regions of the world like parts of Africa, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cuba, ...now talk of North Koreans getting involved. Great talk by the way. I always look forward to your vids!
Is this normal in ‘peace’ time? Ebs and flows? We saw similar topics come to the forefront when the Herricks picked up in 06- dated kit, lack on manpower etc. roll on 2013/2014, the advancements were fantastic by that point. On another note, is it worth joining these days? Asking for a friend ahah 😂🤘🏻
It's not just the army, if you walk along any British high street, outside the local government building, you'll be met with every other flag other than the Union Jack. British children and teens are taught to hate their history and be ashamed of their country. The political class (the lawyers, high up business and banking people and the academics) all have no interest in the British military and actively campaign to make the working conditions and care of army personnel as cheap as possible. This political class teaches their posh children that the army is a joke and any one going into it is at the same level as a criminal. Combine that with factors such as you tube that show very clearly the disparity between British army personnel and the US army, in areas such as; quality of food + accommodation, pay levels and national pride in their military (in the UK due to internal radicalism British military personnel are advised to not wear their uniforms in public due to fear of attack) it's hardly surprising that young people aren't wanting to join. I feel Britain is beyond broken at this point.
I grew up 70/80s. Cubs, scouts, cadets we flew the flag had parades on every occasion. Conditioned to have respect to the country and Queen. We were proud. Grandparents fought in the war so we listened to stories. Now if I fly a flag I am racist lol. We don't have the numbers on the ground, as you point out we were unprepared for wars before even under nourished. Though the people were tougher. We don't have a great pool to find recruits and yes tech has come a long way but in war you will need resources to build the tech or even replace the chips or precious metals. I spent the weekend in Birmingham and went to a wedding in a mosque, it was an amazing weekend and I was looked after and not allowed to pay for anything. The shops were full the streets buzzing and there was an amazing community spirit. It reminded me of my youth. As soon as I stepped out of those areas the streets were dead, shops boarded. If we were to fight or be dragged into conflict, say the French send troups to Ukraine and we become entwined openly then we would be stretched and if there was an enemy within, I'm sorry to say we are going to get Beasted. We have no community spirit, religion or binds. Politicians don't seem to have our best interests at heart. We may have had our best days behind us. The 14st 5ft Bobby ain't going to save us 😂
So I live abroad but . . . I hear you re. community spirit. I live in a majority muslim area and I am shocked in a good way at the sense of community. I patrol with the neighbourhood watch and am included in all events. When I was living in a different suburb I didn't even see my neighbours. I don't know how Britain gets that sense of community back now that Christianity is not as strong as it was and there is no sense of patriotism or belonging. I am worried for the future of Britain.
I don't think it will. Unless Parliament is shaken up. History has a way of repeating itself and nothing lasts forever. Wars do bring people together and rebuild. I do enjoy your pieces on the peninsula war. I've been to Vitoria and Galicia. Would like to follow one of the marches on foot. Be funny to wear the uniform whilst doing it, getting the full experience 😂 keep up the good work!
So your not sure that the present Labour government are interested in the army. But all the gaps in the army and military in general you mention have come after 14 years of conservative government. Yet many in this country think the tories are the best for the safety and security of the nation. This really does baffle me? How do people come to this conclusion?
I recall reading some time ago that the UK has a smaller military than the Michigan National Guard., and that included a smaller number of combat aircraft.
Over 10% of the British Army are not even UK Nationals. Mostly coming from West Africa. This figure does not include the 4000 of The Brigade of Gurkhas. Actually, the smallest figure of foreign nationals in over 100 years. People tend to forget that the KAR did the bullwork of the fighting after Dunkirk. Britain did not fight the Nazi’s. The British Empire fought the Nazi’s. The Indian Army alone contributing 2.5 million men at arms.
The Indians were defending India from the Japanese, I’d look at the per capita casualty rates to see who was doing the real frontline fighting in Europe,, it wasn’t the Indians
@@bushwhackeddos.2703 The British Empire didn’t fight in Europe between June 4th 1940 and June 6th 1944. Thats 4 years. The fighting was going on in East Asia and Africa. The Africans and Indians did a major part of the fighting for the British Empire. There are many channels and history books which cover this. War in Europe ended May 8, 1945. The Second World war ended 2 September 1945. I suggest learning a scintilla of history before commenting.
@@bushwhackeddos.2703 In Just Europe over 50,000 Indian troops fought in the Italian Campaign. A large proportion of Montgomery’s troops were Indian in North Africa fighting against Rommel.
That add campaign at 6mins sums up the army. Expected to do serious and critical roles requiring experience and specialist training, without even the bare minimum of kit required.
The short answer is no, the British Army is too small and has far too many women, the Royal Navy has also been nearly destroyed by the British Government.
No enemy has ever inflicted damage on the British people and army half as effectively as our political class
Especially now, when they infuse leftist, woke ideology! It certainly diminished the US military!
By design too, can't even stop boat people in the cannal
Sounds just like the USA!
What about William and his Normans a while ago?
@@irTaeke good point 🤔 but the worst of todays situation hasn’t even started yet
I’m a veteran from the 80’s and 90’s, people tend to draw the wrong conclusion from the analysis of our military. While weakness and incompetence are immediate concerns, there is a much bigger problem
The real threat is the ideological purge of British values from the government and its institutions, including our armed forces.
It is purging all forms of patriotism, which is what we are witnessing
YES THIS!!!! Veteran RAF chaplain agreeing.
@@johnhudghton3535yes, in WW2 my grandad fought genocidal, master-race fascists. Now with the, "2030 roadmap for UK-Israeli bilateral relations" we are allied with them.
@stephena1196 what a twisted outlook you share with the Islamo-nazis. I feel sorry for you.
Totally agree. I think it's also worth mentioning that over the last 20-30 years many young men who have a sense of adventure and that particular mindset have left the UK to go to Australia, NZ and other countries. We seem to be left with a lot of the wrong "DNA".
@@stephena1196 in the 1940s, your grandad was forced to fight the German army under threat of jail and endless propaganda.
The small size of the army was offset by the power of the Royal Navy, but the senior service is now in a terrible state too.
Very sad but true 👍
VERY THIS.
Has naval warfare not absolutely changed numerous times this century and can the UK afford to keep up? We've gone from ridiculously expensive air carriers being the way a nation projects power, to dealing with the dreadnaught effect of small unmanned naval drones which can overwhelm a naval force if used in large waves, at comparatively a cheap cost. More fundamentally id ask after Brexit and our shrinking world influences, are we going towards isolationism? If we are, in a world of fast terrifying missiles flying faster and higher than we can currently deal with, why would we invest in anything but the air force / national defenses? By the time a foreign army was to arrive on our shores it is already too late. I guess a contradiction to this would be our current stances over Israel and Ukraine where it seems we are still very much invested in global politics but it does feel like this is getting less important.
Only 4000 in the RAN.
Scary.
🦘🇦🇺👍
Because for some reason they needed two aircraft carriers,didn't they? What a waste.
As an ex British Soldier, I don't think we should have anything bigger than a 'home defence force'.
Let's be honest. Our time as a super power has long gone and even with a huge injection of money, our young men don't want to fight and die for a country that is perceived to hate them.
If I had my time again, would I fight for my country ? Absolutely not !
Send our uninvited guests first and then I'd consider it.
Completely disagree. This civvie idea that soldiers don't want to fight is false. I was an infantryman from 2006-2023 and my generation enjoyed our fighting tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, the only time most of us felt truly alive.
As for the size of the Army, we should be able to field a Corps size Army group with our population and defence budget. We cant do everything in war anymore but we could specialise our Army far better then we do.
@@MrSteve_Luddite. home defence force, another name for internal security force, secret (para military) police, or the Stasi.
@@francisalderson4469 all of which we already have.
@@joelyboy7 I'd normally agree but would you trust this Government or the past few Governments not to use that Armed forces not to aggressively pursue more wealth and power at the expense of hundreds or thousands of young men's lives ?
Look at Russia/Ukraine ?
A power and money grab !
I reckon we should do it how a lot of the tiny NATO countries have done it for a long time namely a small absolutely crack defensive army and a large reserve/TA force. I often don't say it because I'm now closer to 40 than 30 so wouldn't be walking the walking as opposed to talking the talking if it ever did become mandatory but that said I'd personally be up for some TA supporty stuff. It's one reason why little countries like Finland and Estonia are given wide births (obviously there's others like geography and alliance memberships etc) but the fact that the almost entirety of the male population is competently trained in the basics of weapon usage, teamwork and communication, fitness and other procedures is a pretty big deterrence in of itself. A small defensive force also doesn't preclude 'peacekeeping coalitions' abroad, although it does somewhat optimistically rely on different countries cutting through bullshit and collaborating with one another in a reasonably timely fashion.
Current US Army soldier here and military history buff --I just want to say that I love your channel for what its worth, the history of so many Army regiments and following their disbandment and forming into other larger regiments across actual centuries of warfare is a rarity you do not often get in military history as a whole. I think the Regiment system is so interesting because it allows for traditions and unity to be communicated to a unit, and for those who care to read the history there is something there for them that will tie them to their purpose as well.
I hope you guys sort yourselves out, but you certainly have a habit of doing so. All the best.
you uys are well short too we both need to fight in our own countries again im no racist but its time to sort this stuff out lets all go to the hot places lol
thersw not gonna be a xmas at all at this rate
i dont think so this time
@@KennyJosephNivenin english ffs
@@danielblyth2841 2 letters out eh lol
It’s several small problems ie;
1) recruiting problems
2) Lower standards
3) Less manpower
4) Low pay
5) Sub-standard tech and SLA/SFA accom
6) low equipment and ammo levels
7) inadequate equipment
8) Over tasked
9) Lack of good leadership
10) handicapped by woke and useless policies
11) Poor procurement process and corruption
And looking after vets after service...what's the point?
Only one thing will save the day: recruit more women.
@SammySardine
Me too...I wouldn't advise anyone to join the army nowadays
@SammySardineYa'll dont start collecting your pension at the time you retire from the Army?
We have the same problems in the French ground forces (hence why i am leaving next year).
I honestly don't know why the government are still using capita, because 2 of my friends who where going to join the army got there applications auto rejected for no reason they tried appealing them but capita said there's nothing we can do. there was also some one who wanted to become a RN officer but capita rejected him because he didn't have A levels but he had 2 degrees. So I wonder how many recruits the armed forces could get if the government got rid of capita.
Recruitment is supposed to be dangerously easy. Not a shore
Capitia was just contracts for friends ..
Because they aren't recruiting to fight a foreign threat, they are recruiting those who will fight a "domestic threat" aka they are turning inwards, like armies in countries such as Iran. Where the people pose a bigger threat to the powers then foreign governments.
because someone in the government will be making money out of it. If your ever unsure why the government does something illogical follow the money
Exactly.
We’re not ready for a major conflict and never will be with our politicians
your right were starving the population this happened just before4 the first world war do u see a tend here war capitalism and multi culyures out together = armagrddon i hate to adnit this but enoch powell was right aparheid is the answer and i hate saying that
We will never ever be able to fight any major conflict . The only reason we was able to stay and fight ww1 and ww2 was due to the cannon fodder we used from our colonies . If it wanst for our imperial colonies we’d have tapped out within the first year if that. The English was terrified of Germany in ww2 it even caused us to delay in sending support for Poland .
Is that a good, or a bad, situation? What about the forces serving with the UN?
@@exotikz7905 And it took months to organise the BEF. At that time, the British army was the only army in the world that didn't use any horses at all. The only mechanised army in 1940.
It didn't help that all the Matilda 1s were sent on one ship, and their guns on another! They went into combat with painted broom sticks mounted as guns, and the tank commander fired a rifle from the turret!
@@exotikz7905 We fight with allies, be it NATO or a US-led operation. We have participated in major conflicts that have existed since WW2, without colonial troops.
Outsourcing has been a disaster for the military.
So much of the RAF have been taken over that the RAF is essentially incapable of deploying in an meaningful sense. Too many jobs previously done by deployable servicemen are now 9-5 employees of outsourcing companies.
RAF veteran agreeing with you.
Why is it, do you think, that all types of government contracts ALWAYS end up costing infinitely more than the original estimate? It isn't incompetence. Follow the money and it always ends up filling the same pockets over and over again.
BTW. The USA have just passed a bill allowing their armed forces to use lethal force against its own citizens. How long until the UK follows suit?
@@anthonydoyle7370 The intent of a system is what it does and our procurement system fucks the average soldier and makes such and such person rich so the intent is to do just that.
@@anthonydoyle7370 Grift and corruption, defensive contracts are meant to syphon funds, not to provide usable service.
It is a joke. We were grounded for 2 full days because our Babcock "firefighters" couldnt be bothered to do the relevant online learning to keep them current for the airfield.
I think steel production and the number of factories able to be converted into steel producing factories for wartime manufacturing is in a dire state too.
Ah but politicians think they can be run on wind and solar or be bought from America
Holy shit I’d never considered that.
"I think steel production and the number of factories able to be converted into steel producing factories for wartime manufacturing is in a dire state too."
While i don't exactly keep track, last i heard was that they were shutting down due to the high energy costs.
As in shutting down permanently.
UK was literally looking to have ZERO steel mills left. That was last year and i haven't seen any updates so it might have changed, but even just the fact that it came up as a likely future is beyond bad.
@@DIREWOLFx75 what a mess.
@@Belisarius536 That pretty much describes it well.
And we have barely seen the beginning of the great deindustrialisation of Europe yet...
We spent 2 decades living it up by relying on cheap and easy imports from Russia, energy, oil, gas, raw materials, food, fertilizers and even some various budget whitewares and other consumer goods...
And now we've suddenly and abruptly disconnected from that.
Germany lost 30% of its industry in 2022...
1/5 of the EUs papermills closed down 22/23.
Aluminium plants, closed down(as they require huge amounts of electricity).
And of course, a lot of empty shelving in the local stores.
Before 2022, i had almost never seen even a single note in a store with something like "sorry but our supplier is currently unable to deliver this product".
But in 2022, suddenly my local store had those in empty spaces on pretty much every shelf, literally hundreds of things, basic foodstuff, not available.
And even today, there's still dozens of those notes.
While the local bakery went bankrupt because the local prices for some things jumped up to 90% since start of 2022.
And yet, we're still buying the exact same oil from Russia, just doing it via a middleman, mostly India...
Yeah, those sanctions were 100% kamikaze style.
The Canadian Armed Forces is also in a dire state.
It's deeply concerning that across the Anglosphere, and our wider allies, that things are looking rather grim.
Thanks - yes, Ill be honest Im tempted to do a similar video about the Canadians, Aussies etc. . .
Canadas proximity and relationship with the US is a much bigger deterrent that anything we could possibly muster ourselves
Yep. Australia has the same problem. Woke policies deterring young men, and politicians to focused on vote-buying to properly fund the basic costs of a decent military.
There's money for tte headline-grabbing items, but not the everyday stuff.
@@redcoathistoryAustralia has recruitment problems but plenty of spending.
The AUKUS submarine acquisition was/is an utter fiasco, seemingly instigated because Boris wanted to screw over Macron!
Well , it could be worse l suppose , we could be like Russia.
The Ranger Regiment is a bluff. I got out last year and was one of the original Rangers. They copied the green berets because it sounded good, forgetting there an SF unit with an SF budget and are all airborne trained. We in comparison are little better than a light infantry battalion, but worse because the manning of each Bn is half of a light infantry battalion. It was a covert way to cut 2 infantry battalions worth of manpower. The Ranger regiment should have been trained as UKSFs little brother to take some of there tasks off there hands, the Army really didn’t know what it wanted the Rangers to do or where they would fit in.
Its just a glorifed 1 para
Donkeys still in charge
Was the original 4 rifles just a light infantry regiment then?
@@ZarrarOneNinerit was a specialised infantry battalion beforehand. Essentially for training foreign troops abroad and so on
@@thoubosen2779 so it basically just had a name change and training barrier to entry then?
Why recreate Rangers, who were modeled on the British Army commando, green berets and all? The Light Infantry/Rifles could have been adapted into this, which is literally a classic light infantry role. It's right in line with their long history.
Because the rifles are not up to the task...one of the only Regiments to fail their pre-deployment assessment for Afghanistan and had to do a reshow...that was from a mate of mine who was a WO1 on Optag running it at the time.
Ranger Regiments go through decent enough training and testing to get them task & combat ready.
@@MC14may half the blokes in the Rangers are from the Rifles. Even if that’s true about them failing, it will be a battalion, not a whole regiment. As I remember when I was in one of the Parachute battalions failing their pre deployment exercises aswell as a Duke of Lancs battalion. Rangers as a whole seems like a wasted effort on something a normal infantry battalion could do given time to prepare
Our rangers are more in line with the US green berets, training and influencing partner forces as a primary role, rather than an additional role that SAS/SBS used to take on. The closest equivalent we would have to the modern US Rangers would be SFSG.
@@thoubosen2779 iirc, the Lancs are total gash
The fact it's only 60% of what constitutes an army (100K Soldiers) is answer enough. Is the army ready for war? It would help if we had an army to begin with.
if korea unite were outnumbed 13 to 1
I've been out 12 years now and I'd be surprised if we are, in fact it's sad to say that i don't think we have been for a while. We made an admirable effort in Afghanistan, but even there we were only ever able to control a relatively small area of central Helmand, and that was after 5 years of campaigning and a with fair bit of support from the Yanks.
Why were you in Afghanistan? That country is three thousand miles from your country. It is none of your business whatever happened there.
@@waichui2988 Well it is if that country chooses to harbour a terrorist organisation that attacks an ally who then calls in the terms of your alliance.
Who would want to die for there country when they the government don't care about the public
The MoD is now viewed as an Orwellian tool of globalist propaganda and increasingly, internal repression. They indulge their own Russia obsession at huge risk to Britain and even the world (if nuclear war war were to result). But they do nothing to protect our borders
Fight for the migrants. Fight for their freedom to get free stuff
Don’t worry, someone will do it for you. Some people will always find an excuse to hide their fear.
@@chrislye8912 those people are fighting for migrants
@@AverageWagie2024 I made a polite comment about George Orwell's warnings coming true in Britain and this channel removed it. So I guess Tobias Ellwoods' dreams of WW3 and all this armybarmy stuff are not related to defending freedom of speech in any way
An excellent episode but we should be in no doubt as to the dire state of the British Army, which has lost its way. Lord Carver once warned that the Army could become a liability to the nation by appearing big enough to encourage politicians to commit it to operations, while being too small to actually achieve anything. We crossed this line at least a decade ago. I have completely lost confidence in the senior leadership, which is careerist and hides behind politicians for many of the disastrous procurement decisions. Added to this, to distract from the Iraq debacle and strategic defeat in Afghanistan, woke ideology was adopted with vigour by these same careerists. The evidence of falling standards is now obvious to everyone.
lets all go abroad and let the coloreds come here
Sounds accurate, from someone of inside experience? The same parallel and comparison could be made with education both in England and Scotland-despite some positive reforms the teaching profession lost its way, careerists filled top positions by filing and signing up to the woke agendas proliferating first in London, especially in Brent and Islington in the 1980's and then spreading out. Many teachers, students like soldiers have now become unmotivated and both parties are often unaware of our chivalrous heroes of the past who uphold honour and mercy in war e.g. Alfred the Great or despite my admiration for Napoleon and his "old guard", Wellington who, with limited supplies and men, learned through experience, gathering an able group of officers around him defeated Napoleon in the end. We need a new Napoleon and Wellington inside two of our most important institutions working alongside.😮💨🙏💪👨🎓
'Drone warfare could be a way of attracting new recruits '
Yes, because nothing is going to make people join up like the risk of having a grenade dropped on you randomly by omnipresent drones its hard to hide from...
I think he’s suggesting young people would feel comfortable piloting a remote in order to kill people .
Agree with you but looking at the Russia Ukrainian war all drone operators are under pressure from the opposite side and depending on how many they have e.g the most then the more likely you are going to lose those precious manpower,the drones can be replaced.
Every red line that nato and America broke in the war has done nothing to stop the Russians they went on a war pact with ramping up production of military equipment whilst everyone else just gave out their old stock of equipment thinking that would do the job.
@@markwebster243 Oh it's much worse than that. UA brigades are by now mostly so depleted, that they're repeatedly forced to send drone ops and artillery crews to hold trenches with a rifle.
That means u r totally dependant on Chinese drone parts...
@ And china has already put a ban on skydo getting any parts who have been involved in the military side.
Can't fault your analysis - excellent video - well done
Thanks mate. Was really interesting for me to dive into.
@@redcoathistory Just found ur channel good vid
It's incredibly woke and nieve
@@deusvult8251 What is
Considering the country has already been invaded and its citizens the victims of violence from foreigners we are already at war and nobody has picked up a rifle in the defence of the country. In fact, the military were almost deployed recently against its own people.
You have not been fuckin invaded Jesus christ
👏👏👏 Exactly 💯
I actually fell out with my Son over that.
He's serving with the Royal Signals, and i just sent him a quick text saying to remember these are our own people and not to go steaming into them like the police.
My Brother is a police sergeant and even he, in private conversations, understands us, but my Son straight up said "I'm not gonna stand there and let em throw bricks at me."
It was a bitter fall out, and I have nothing but hatred for these politicians turning brothers against brothers and sons against fathers.
@NiSiochainGanSaoirse God bless you. Hopefully your son will mature and realize his family and people are all that matter.
@@NiSiochainGanSaoirse
1) When did they have the Signals on public order duty?
2) Army public order training is not police public order training. It's a lot more aggressive. No he should not just stand there and let anyone throw bricks at him, and neither should the police.
I wanted to join the army, i went when i was 16, i was told my asthma was a bar to joining and needed to be signed off by a doctor and a number of years clear.
So i did. But life goes on, by the time i was eligible again, i had a career in agriculture and a family.
But, what i can do is support my friends and family who are in, and support those who come back.
Should give the reserves a try mate
mine was a clearance issue.. tried marines, navy and army.. all rejected. working on another masters in military arts. once i finish it ill give RAF a try. At 24 most of the good jobs are already out of range.. and this is for enlisted. i can forget about ever becoming an officer.
@peeratatr1492 I'm sorry what. What makes you think 24 is too old for good jobs or commisioning? Youl have a masters degree for christ sake.
When you say "clearance" the only check you do before starting training is either a basic counter terror check or a DBS check u can't recall.
Either way whatever made you fail a DBS check or CT check isn't going to go away if you have a masters.
@@lewisallan9963 should’ve been clearer in my comment. When I mentioned clearance, I was referring to the ability to hold a security clearance.. not a counter-terror check or DBS check, both of which Id passed. The issue is that I’m non-commonwealth, despite living in the UK for 13 years. I’ve even spoken to the defence attaché about this, and they confirmed that the system isn’t designed for someone like me it doesn’t fit me into a specific category.
ur right about the fact that more education isn’t going to fix my problem… but i have to try right? The system should be based on merit but that’s not the world we live in. What sucks even more is ive seen literal foreign royalty attending places like RMAS and it made me question whether its about talent, skill or merit.. or just political influence (atleast for foreign born recruits anyways
i do fine it my civilian life and im comfortable but it doesn’t feel right to stop trying… open to any and all suggestions!
@@lewisallan9963 should've been clearer in my comment. When I mentioned clearance, I was referring to the ability to hold a security clearance.. not a counter-terror check or DBS check, both of which Id passed. The issue is that l'm non-commonwealth, despite living in the Uk for 13 years. I've even spoken to the defence attache about this, and they confirmed that the system isn't designed for someone like me it doesn't fit me into a specific category.
ur right about the fact that more education isn't going to fix my problem... but i have to try right? The system should be based on merit but that's not the world we live in.
What sucks even more is ive seen literal foreign royalty attending places like RMAS and it made me question whether its about talent, skill or merit.. or just political influence (atleast for foreign born recruits anyways
i do fine it my civilian life and im
comfortable but it doesn't feel right to stop trying... open to any and all suggestions!
Some our armed forced bigger problems are:
- taking far to long for applications of services
- getting rid of slightly older but still very usable stuff so we have bugger all reserves
-scrapping or selling ships which could be put “in storage” for a dark day
- not relying on our selves enough
- not making sure we have a arsenal ready at all times for a medium war, possibly against peers.
There’s so many our government don’t care anymore
No.
As a nation we’re sick of war. There’s been a continuous stream of conflicts since 1945 (mainly in support of the USA) and no one wants to bury more children.
Just defend ourselves from conventional, cyber and terror attacks. The EU can choose to do the same, or not. And we’ll have a generation who experience peace. Something that has never happened in my lifetime.
I'm Civilian street City and Guilds Motor Vehicle Engineer, and a Ex TA REME, I've taken 2 things from my time as a BOAR, 1st was a Russian Tank Engines didn't have paper oil filters, Second Pencils will write in Zero Gravity, Tech is over rated, A UZI is only a piece of metal if you don't have ammunition for it,
Using historic army sizes for comparisons is a bit of a tricky one. Up until the mid-19th century (ish), the overwhelming majority of the army was actual fighting strength, now most personnel are in support roles.
Yes this. I think it would have been good to know how many numbers/personnel are from combat arms compared to support arms.
This and why fight with feeble humans when we can just hook up an Xbox controller and remotely pilot a drone instead?
He is one for you my 23 son was court marshaled for the offence of fighting where he and a number of male soldiers were fighting each other , a female Lcpl got involved and was struck once in the mouth injuries consisted of a fat lip, pea size blood blister inside her lip. He was kicked out the army and sent to civilian jail for 3 months all because he struck a female. Where the equality in that . Not one of the male soldiers made a complaint. This sones up the state of our armed forces. God help us if we ever have to go to war.
Big tough guy hits a girl 😂
well this is like ive said tghe army is male
So your son was sent to jail for assaulting a female work colleague.
And you think that's OK...
Additionally he assaulted an NCO..to be honest if you permit that, then any one can assault anyone.
@@stevewilliams2691he's obviously not well
@@stevewilliams2691 you completely missed the point there didn't you all you saw was hitting a female, The point I was making was he and Male soldiers including male NCOs were fighting, there was also another two females involved in the fight but this particular Female Nco decided to get involved and was only punched once in the face not multiple times once only and she made a complaint no one else did only her . The point I was making was an equality point . Do you think any one we go to war with will give a dam about oh you that's a female no they won't the will rape her in front of the lads to break their resistance as the russian have done in Ukraine and the hamas terrorist have done to the female soldiers they took hostage from the border posts . All information on this is openly available , or are you one of these people who lives in a soft fluffy bubble.
Regarding the Challenger 3 and Ajax, all these fancy target target acquisition bells and whistles don't mean a thing in modern war any more! The war in Ukraine has shown a cheap FPV piloted drone or loitering AI drones, such as the lancet, can take out any armoured tank or vehicle in the world and the Challenger 2s, Abrams and Leopards have all been taken out by drones in the war (I don't mean the whole lot of course just each variant has had casualties from drones). We are not even considering FPV drones and bomber drones - and their countermeasures - and we are going to get left well behind. China is taking notes from Russia. It seems we are not from Ukraine. We should be forming FPV schools now to train up drone pilots. The army probably arrogantly thinks it is beneath us and only for the uncouth savages in the East.
Well, if you get a minute bring in one of your drone thingies from home and show the chaps one weekend. Can't help with the bus fare unfortunately....
Great video, and a lot of important topics raised. I'm old enough to remember BAOR and the Falklands, and no way could the UK do that today. It's not the men, they remain, as they have often been, real gutter fighters.
When people see "70 thousand men", they fail to understand that most of those men and women are not front-line combat troops. Cooks, Bottle-washers, transport drivers, clerks, laundry personnel, office staff, warehouse staff, MPs, the bloke who grooms the regimental goat. They're all necessary, but really, I agree, the Uk would struggle to put a full-sized combined arms Division into the field and keep it there.
Under-manned, under-paid, undersupported. Just like the police, the NHS,et., al.
Bloody shameful really.
It's all a bit hush-hush but a confidential source has told me that the Women's Institute are now training the militant Brownies how to fight with Ninja crochet hooks and flower arranging scissors. Keep it under your hat, ssshhhhush.
The name Ranger was originally used by the British Army during the French and IndianWars in North America
As per the 1940 Hollywood movie North West Passage.
No.
That saved you 20 min. You welcome
Drachinifel said a big army is a luxury for Britain and big navy is luxury for continental countries or something like that
I had this exact argument on another channel where I clearly stated that Britain had never had an adequate army at the beginning of any major conflict. However the reserve forces had always bought us time to build a large land force, this is not really an option in modern warfare. If you served tours in Afghan alongside British military units Chris then you are a veteran, you just carried a camera instead of a rifle. Great video mate, keep them coming.
The Reserves now... that's a topic for discussion...
Problem is modern warfare is all about speed. You don't have time to train everyone
The youth arent fighting lad, they have been utterly shafted. They hate the country and tbh i dont blame them, Forever lions led by donkeys.
If that first echelon is lost we wont even have any experienced people left to train civvys.
The ruskies are losing 1000+ a day, even if we lost half those numbers we would only have 160 days to raise a force of hundreds of thousands.
Its not happening imo.
Gen Richard Sheriff, ex DSACEUR, said recently that the Army could not deploy and sustain more than a brigade, Maj Gen James Martin, GOC of 3 Div, said his command was neither fully deployable nor capable of war fighting and Gen Nick Houghton, ex CDS, said the Army is now little more than a boutique force. A pitiful situation all around.
Really enjoyed the modern military video! Navy, RAF video would be great, plus special forces. You touched on the Rhodesian bush war in this video but that would make a great video too. Keep it up
just type in uk special forces its on here bud
The army outsourced recruitment in 2012, ironically I joined in 2011. Amazing experience, glad I joined and glad I left.
I rember the slogan "the QE2 cruises where everyone else refuses. was awesome seeing her full of bootnecks
Well this is my 2 pence worth:
On the Rangers it is a new regiment however its made up of old battalions. 1 Scots for example (the oldest battalion in the regular army) was merged into them (losing their Royal Scots borders title and Scottish identity in the process). But I agree there was no need to form a new regiment in fact I think its a role that the Parachute Regiment could have been better suited for.
We need more reserves but we also need to be careful that increasing their numbers doesn't come at the expense of the regular formations. Reserves are an important to supplement regular units, they are not a way to expand the army on the cheap. The reserves suffer from much of the same issues regarding recruiting as the regular. But there is also a cultural issue if we want reservists to do the same sort of training as regulars. Consideration needs to be given to things like sports contests and courses. For a reservist balancing what is his/her second job with their civilian employment and family a lengthy promotion course held by a regular unit is not appealing neither is a short or segmented one run on weekdays. That said when reservists do deploy alongside regulars it should be noted they have volunteered to do so and thus it is not uncommon for reserves to be more motivated to get the job done than their regular counterpart, they can also be a recruitment avenue for the regulars.
No doubt Challenger 3 is a great bit of kit but its just not enough of them. While Leopard isn't as advanced I wonder if we might have been able to have more tanks if we phased in Leopard or even just more Challenger 2s. that said we do have older tanks in storage that can be reactivated but this isn't a solution to current number shortages (I question why we gave Ukraine Challenger 2s when we have plenty Challenger 1s in storage)
AJAX has been a disaster but hopefully now we are on the right path, though I do wonder if we might be better building new examples of older kit, like warriors or scimitars. On the other hand I like the look of some of the German and Swedish vehicles we are buying and it makes sense to use the same sort of things our allies use if we want to integrate with them on the battlefield or even from a logistics viewpoint have shared supply chains.
I would say the RA definitely needs to expand to the point where it should be one of the largest corps in the army. Not only regarding artillery support to troops on the ground, but things like air defence and even small drones (spotting and target acquisition) fall within the remit of the RA. If I was to take any of the drones used in Ukraine and mass produce them it would be the Australian made PPDS. Its a cheap military grade drone (as opposed to a modified drone made for the civilian market, which also have their ureses) that despite being labelled the cardboard drone has proved simple, robust, capable, energy efficient and even easy to modify or repair.
I don't think Labour has a good record on the Armed Forces but in fairness neither does the Conservatives. Having gave ourselves a stern talking to I think we are now on the right path (all be it at the start of the path) the important thing is that we stay on it.
I think we would struggle to defend the entire Falklands, however we weren't in a good place in 1982 either and like then I think the fighting spirit and professionalism of the British warrior would eventually win the day should the need arise again.
The Para's are arguably the best "hammer" in the British Army so probably the worst unit to pick to train and work with local forces. Not that they couldn't do it, they just have a completely different mindset.
@militarymisfit43 they are our rapid reaction force. Can't have them tied up training locals in some far flung backwater
@@robbiepemberton Totally agree, mate.
@@military_misfit More of a knife as a QRF than a hammer. The hammer is the armoured infantry. We've seen what happens when modern Airborne units fight mech infantry unsupported, didn't go well for the VDV in Hostomel airport.
thats a lot to read buddy were outnumbersd by a lot is enough to say do you see a trend here the consevative party destroy everythubg our abilty to eat our abilty to care for peoplke ou abiltty to provide good services america uis britaion i9n a large scale these country club pigs are destoying the what they xcall sheep i think youll fin that th shheep are who makes up the army so i asny are dogs its tyhe working class soldier its time to revolt agaionst our own politicians surely trunp is commie now thats something that the usa would never put up with
Capita, for the love of all that's good an holy the biggest out sourcing Scammers in the business
And they are now suffering. They've lost a lotta business over the last year or so
I've been listening for over a minute and haven't heard anything about DEI.... keep it up 😉🇬🇧
What would we be fighting for? Britain has been ruined
American veteran here. My family fought against the British and served with you as well. Over 200 years of history. My boys are entering the age where the service talk was supposed to be. My father asked me if I had “the talk” with them. I told him that our family has bleed, died and left our sanity all over the world, but could not see the point in continuing since the Afghanistan debacle. My father agreed. I have spoken to many other ex servicemen. They feel the same. We are tired of serving the Military Industrial Complex and senseless wars. So, The USA is in general out of the world from what I have heard and as far as it goes, I don’t want my son’s blood spilled for whatever our country is. You’re on your own.
Okay, General justinjex1 has spoken on behalf of the entire American Military
OK 🇩🇪🇬🇧🇫🇷..... we must care for ourselves..... good bye uncle Sam. 👋👋
I served the last “good” war was world war 2, I feel so bad for my brothers who served in the theaters during the Cold War and GWOT.
Keep your children away from the regime
Did you ever heard about NATO?
As an outsider, I think you guys you'll be fine as long as you fix your recruitment and "culture" issues first. In contrast to the Armed forces of the Philippines(AFP), in 2020 was said to be around 150,000 personnel. Thats all branches and were potentially going against China. Our Army is like 100.000 out of that total. The last time we fought a superpower was Japan in WW2 and we were technically a US territory then. Now were still bros with the US but our lack of tech and power alone wont do anything offensive to China Im afraid, we get bullied in our territory after all.
Yeah the Philippines have become such a sad nation and should’ve never gotten their independence so quickly. A couple decades of being a colony would’ve done wonders for your country and you’d be more in line with Japan and South Korea
We sent 127 ships to the Falklands. We only have 66 commissioned ships now, including a historic wooden ship. Add to that 13 RFA's.
simply pathetic isnt it, .
Don't tell Zelensky about HMS Victory because he'll want that too 😂
There is virtually no British Merchant Navy now so how would the Army get supplied .
Swap out the Union Flag for the Maple Leaf and this story could well be about the current condition of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Same here.
🦘🇦🇺👍
IM SORRY TO SAY THIS I CAN SEE 4 DIVIDED NATIONS HERE GET RID OF WESTMINTER A LOT OF PROBLEMS SOLVED I DUNNO THE SAINTS OF MIODERN FREEDONM COUD FIUX All of this imagine walking binto a shop and not paying imagine working and not having to pay for anything ever imagine country full of kings and queens the luxurywe can all have without money there really is just b2 simple answers to our problem everyone being truly equal and every 5 years t us abd he cokreds swap continents we all stick to our own these three simple policues can fuix the whole world free heathcare too its asw sinple as that and no more maths splitting atoms
I don't feel like it is, even with how warfare has changed, there are older states of even the Kingdom of England that are better prepared for war than the modern UK.
As a British Army veteran, I am ashamed of my part in illegal and unjust wars. I threw my medals in the bin.
I'm 40 and extremely fit but if they ever tried calling me up to fight Russia i would tell them to fuck off. I would be surprised if we lasted more than a month before rendered combat ineffective
One of my old buddies was "training" Ukrainians. He was embarrassed the whole time because the Ukrainian Army knows how to fight modern war miles better than us 😂
Go get you wheel chair mate!
@berteisenbraun7415 I play football twice a week
Surely there must be a 'Britishness' factor to integrate with manpower size on one side of the "effectiveness" equation?
Look at the following Afghanistan war (2001-2021) KIA numbers: UK =457
France + Germany + Italy + Denmark + Spain + Netherlands + Sweden + Netherlands + Belgium = 314
The UK is the only European armed force to wholly immerse itself in front-line operations.
Ukraine is loosing more than than this every day😮put that in perspective
@@steve-xx6or Nothing to do with the video subject. 😲Get some perspective.
@@AW12-Whas everything to do with it you w⚓️
Really upgraded the graphics, love it, keep up the good work.
Very interesting Chris, although alarming
Having just joined the AR I feel this program is on the money with our state of play. Much work to get things on track.
The British Army has NEVER been "ready for war". Historically, it's only been large enough, and professional enough, for it to be able to expand rapidly as war approaches, with the Royal Navy (and latterly Royal Air Force) being large enough to cover the deficit until remedied. 100,000 fighting troops, was for decades, the size of the pre-war force. The problem is now that the 100,000 has become the overall size of the entire Forces rather than simply the Army Component. Rather more serious, in my view, that the reduction in numbers, was the effect of fighting in Iraq II and Afghanistan which moved the fighting away from the wielding of units at Divisional level, in favour of at battalion, if not smaller, level. We've done this before in '41 and '42 in North Africa where battalion-sized forces, usually named after their commander, came up against German units using the full assets of a Division. The results were sobering. Whilst it is true that troops used to operating as at Divisional level may struggle when employed as sub-units, the reverse is not true at all, ie, Officers only used to fighting at a Company or Battalion level will be completely unable to operate at the Divisional level.
i missed thoe wars i was nearly at the three of them
A note on the possibility of a falklands war, from what I remember, we weren't in a brilliant position to take back the Falkland's during the last war. We ended up having to convert civilian vessels for military use to transport equipment and men.
That’s what happens in most wars.
I tried to join last year but was rejected for having Autism. The state of Britain since then, I'm so glad i didn't join. Why fight for a country that prioritises illegal immigrants over the British people, and throws mothers, fathers and grandfathers into prison just for having a political opinion?
Sounds more like the opinion of a troll to me.
@@Scaleyback317 call it like I see it sir.
@@michaelpaget6288 Your prerogative, we're still a free country.
Those things were the same in 2023, when you tried to join, as 2024. It never stopped you sticking in an application. The Army currently doesn’t accept applications from folk with autism and is very public about that. 30 years ago you probably would have been fine… because loads of folk didn’t get diagnosed.
A free country? Do you mix. Your koolaid and copium to drink together?
Solid all around, two points I'd like to add. If the Rangers are to take on a mission set similar to US Special Forces, they make sense if they are supporting proxy wars. There is a school of thought that says direct confrontation with peer or near peer competitors is too dangerous with the threat of nuclear exchange, so proxy wars are the way to go. In this case, having units capable of training proxy forces makes sense.
The other point is I suspect your numbers are actually a bit bleaker than you presented. The numbers don't tell the whole story, as the tooth to tail ratio has changed dramatically over the past century. So the number of actual trigger pullers available to engage an enemy is significantly less now when compared to the same number of forces in prior eras.
Britain wrecked itself fighting wars it couldn’t afford in the first half of the 20th century
America is doing the same thing this century
Col Macgregor Ret
Also Russia.
I don't think you mentioned the number of horses kept on the Defence budget for ceremonial purposes.
Especially compared to the number of armoured vehicles...
The enemy is already within your walls.
very true the muslim immigrants are here in nos its time to sort thatcklosing our borders aND LOOKING AFTER OUR OWN IS THE ONY ANSWER A THAT MEANS A PROPER UNITED KINGDOM JUST GET RID OF THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND AND WEARE SORTED THE IRISH THE SCITS AND THE NOTHERN ENGLISH CAN DO WOTHOUT THE GREEDY STH ONCE AND FOR ALL PERSONALLY IM FOR THAT WHO WOULD MISS TE SOUTH IOF ENGLAND NOW ALL OF US ARE GOOD PEOPLE APART FROM THE SOUT AND YEAH ILL AGREE MY SOUTHERN ANCESWTORS WERE NO BETTER YOU SEE MY NAME WE WWENT RTO WAR WITH ROBERT THE BRUCE OVER WILLIAM WALLACE AND OULD AGAUN MY CLAN WERE LIEGE LORDS CAND FAIRER PEOPLE TYOU COULD NOT MEET I HAVE SOME EXCEPTIONS BUT MOST OF MY FAMILY WERE THE MOST GENEROU KIND PEOPKLE YTOU COULD MEET AND WHEN I HAVE IT SO AM I
I fear it may become like Australia, which is now a brown country
@@jamesg9468w⚓️
@@jamesg9468Really 😂 Australia is now a “Brown country” you sir skipped history lessons for Vodka.
Yes, a long steady build up of Islamic extremists that the government and the woke welcome with open arms.
The crown had loyalist Queen’s Rangers and King’s Rangers prior to and during the American revolution, so perhaps not named after the US Army Rangers?
Technically you are correct of course, but I think my point still stands.
@@redcoathistory I would argue the British Army has simply reclaimed the Ranger title. Any way great video, as usual ;)
I think the inspiration is rather obvious and I doubt many involved in the process knew much of the history involved. It's not like they've ever cared enough to preserve historic regiments.
I was in the royal marines from 2005-2010. I would not fight for this country anymore, it does not represent my views or beliefs anymore.
Neither would I if I was of military age, I can’t stand this corrupt and incompetent government.
The numbers for the British army, in the last few hundred years, didn’t include the Empire’s colonial regiments.
“Britain never believed in conscription”
- Except we had press gangs and little social welfare, so the military was a means to get a good hot meal, clothes, a penny in your pocket or two and a look in with the ladies. Perhaps coercion, would better describe the British way of recruitment.
A lot of the industry, was building ships, cannons and rifles, or muskets for the military, and producing gunpowder, uniforms, boots, equipment, and farms producing foods for the military. Also mining coal for ships, metals and minerals. Or building railways and supply wagons that the military used for transport. So if you weren’t actually in the military, there was a good chance you were working, in supporting and supplying it.
Lastly, Britain never had a need for conscription until WW1. Except during all Britain’s medieval history when there was feudalism.
There are many reasons for our current military state, starting with our educational and further education systems.
Education which now is totally eclipsed in the Far East. Indeed, I now educate my kids abroad. Cheaper and far better. Not necessarily just the academics, but they learn manners, discipline & behaviour. Moreover they are safe.
Same here.
🦘🇦🇺👍
Had an application for the Army Reserves that took 9 MONTHS to process to the Assessment Centre stage. Eventually just gave up and moved on, it wasn't worth the wait. This is a common theme amongst a lot of would be joiners.
dont worry youll get called up any day now
the British army has some of the best troops in nato , but is underfunded , poorly managed , has had a Poor procurement record for years . they Turn away people For any sort of minor inconvenience to hit Diversity quotas as well in all arms of the military. the air force is strong but too small , the Navy also can punch above its weight but also way too small .
Its a shambles , the last 15 years of toxic politics and corrupt state of government has left them with a budget that's not well used and a laughably small military force . With the current state of the world you have to ask yourself whos side the muppets in charge really are on.
The Rangers is a 250 men 'battalion' so its a HQ and a reinforced company.
250 men im syre the scots team coulkd get ore signed up for them
Excellent episode
the new background style is really cool would be awesome to see in episodes going forward 🙂
Thanks - its a bit of an experiment. Some episodes will look like this - others more "traditional". . . Thanks for the feedback.
Oh, Britain, land of Albion, once guardian of empires and bulwark of Europe, how you have let slip the sinew of your strength, and dulled the edge of your steel. Behold the army, which once shook the world in fear, its warriors tempered by courage and honor. Today, it stands diminished, its form a shadow and its resolve dulled, reduced by ages of complacency and the rust of neglect.
_For what, I ask, is an army that lacks the means to fulfill its sacred charge? No longer does it echo with the resolute footfalls of an army prepared for the trials of war. Once, the British soldier was the epitome of bravery and skill, seasoned and tempered in battles across deserts, forests, and mountains. Today, the numbers dwindle, the training falters, and the unity wanes. The force that was once legion in spirit and steadfast in will has become, if not undone, so diminished that its former glory seems but a tale of mythic heroes rather than a reality for our time_
No is the answer! Not since the Victoria era! We struggled in the Boer war and in the World Wars that followed couldn’t fight without significant support from allies. We don’t have the industrial might to finance a large land army of 3-4 million men!
Hot take:
Russia has shown to be way weaker than we thought, and burned trough much of its soviet arms reserves. The real peace dividend is about to start not finish. Diplomacy, stability and collaboration should get investments not vehicals and arms.
Problem is though, Russia is not the only enemy out there.
We got to watch Argentina does not make a move for the falklands
China is a big threat with the manpower and industry to match
Russia is starting to win in Ukraine
One day your allies could become your enemies.
They are weaker than the entirety of Europe together, but in a war only the eastern Europeans would prove themselves, the UK would have trouble having any major role and all the western militaries would have supply problems due to an inefficient procurement system and emptying stocks to Ukraine. Also the Ukrainians have a mass military, western European states would face outright hostility from the population if they tried to conscript them, it would be politically dangerous as on a minority of the population is loyal to the current political settlement, those without connection to the country they live in would not want to fight for it, and much of the young male population would be more hostile to their own governments than to Russia's, giving them military training and organisation would probably be more dangerous than the Russians, so you would be stuck with cash incentives, conscripting women and civil service battalions.
I don't think we are going to see any improvements in this direction given the economic state of the west, the political elites already have extremely heavy financial commitments, increasing the effectiveness of a force from whom political loyalty is their only concern and is liable to be unreliable is not on the cards unless they enter a mania, and if or once they do it should be expected that many of our new soldiers will reserve all their hostility for their own governments.
The British caliphate. Lmao. There’s no Britain anymore. It’s gone.
When was the last time a Brit military unit was on the receiving end of an air strike, a major artillery strike , a major attack by thermobaric weapons in a hostile EW environment? When was the last time the Brit Army took 300 KIA and 1500 WIA in a single days action and had to process that number of casualties in aid stations? When was the last time the Brit military faced off against a serious mechanized attack by high end Tanks and Mech forces without air support? . When was the last time the Brit military had to fight a major land engagement against a peer combat hardened veteran opponent with superior numbers technology and firepower? The answers to those questions should inform you of how effective the Brit Military would be against an opponent like the Russians
I joined the armed forces at the age of 16 out of school. I wouldn’t do it now because my country is not Great Britain, it’s Airstrip One in Orwell’s “1984”
The recruitment issues are not confined to just the U.K. The U.S. military has struggled with recruiting and retention for over a decade. The channel "Task and Purpose" did a great video on this, detailing how it's an issue across many armed forces around the globe. And like anything else, the issue is complex and cannot be boiled down to one or two problems with an easy fix.
Maybe it is compkex, but using complexity as an excuse for not getting the basics right, is dishonest.
From what I hear, the demographic that has noped out of the US military - and many others - are the young middle-and-lower class young men who are the bread and butter of ground combat units.
Maybe we should stop advertising the military as a suitable career for their baby sisters, and start calling for tough guys who are willing to destroy the enemy regardless of risk and conditions.
it pretty much can be boiled down to one problem, wokeness.
@@winstonsmith8482and we have a bunch of desk jockeys pretending to be generals/admirals whos jockeying for a job in policy think-thank and lobby firms…..
im ex forces of 15 years ..left in 2005 ..to be honest i was proud to serve back then but now im ashamed to say i fought for the country we have become ..as for defending our island .....why when the government has just given it away ...and then to let vets once serve be homeless and house complete strangers from lands we were sent to fight why would the young British people want to join to fight for this country in todays time . to be cast aside once used for politics .. defend our country so they can give it away .😢
This guy is the best
Reduce the full time army, make the territorials more attractive, give bonuses to employers etc. The army should be protecting our shores not sent to costly and useless conflicts. The Swiss model is for us. When we had an Empire to look after, you can understand it, as we were protecting BRITISH land. Now, we're a 2nd rate European country. (5 yrs regular, 15 yrs territorial)
It’s an interesting time, it’s a new world and it’s rapidly changing, I’m interested in seeing how they deal with the challenge of recruitment. We don’t live in a society where its us VS them anymore and what it means to be British and proud of it is brought into question everyday. I would be really interested in the reasons why younger people of today join the army, there are many reasons to do so, it may just not be as obvious as previous generations.
Maybe there is a need to stop pandering to those "many reaso s" and start advertising for young men who are willing to go "us vs. them".
"Us vs. Them " is the reason why you have a military.... not to provide diverse career opportunities
we dont, we arent dying for these people who have ruined the country and forced us to leave if we ever want to buy a house and raise a family.
Fuck the UK
i think most youngsters that join up today are avid call of duty players, and simply envision themselves kicking ass on the battlefield. however im sure many hasnt quite accepted there isnt a restart button. when killed.
@@RansomeDavis A high tolerance for risk has been a feature of testosterone-filled young men for far longer than computer games have been around.
There’s nothing “toxic” about that.
@@peterwebb8732 we all got told to feck off by capita mate
Long as enemy doesn't arrive in rubber dinghys
We have a government that condemns are own flag, yet wants us to fight for that very flag.
This is a really well presented video, thank you
First of all, just who is the enemy?
As a bit of an Historian, I need to remind you that Rangers was originally a British Army unit. in 1755 during what we in the States and Canada refer to as the French and Indian War; AKA The 7 Years War , Major Robert Rogers founded and raised a regiment of Colonial Rangers, amalgamating various Ranging companies. The U.S. Army Rangers take their lineage from this unit. After the 7 Years war, the Ranger Regiment was Amalgimated into the 60th ( Royal American) Regiment which became one of the British Army's rifle regiments
Probably, just don’t expect a draft to go well. We young men have all seen the footage on Reddit and if kier comes with a draft I’ll tell him u go first sir stamer.
Russia's war in Ukraine has starkly put back in to focus the fact that mass and number are still of huge importance in a peer-on-peer conflict. Casualties are in the thousands per day! The rather arrogant assumption in the West/NATO that our superior weapons negated the need for numbers just does not stack up to the evidence in this war. One innovation by Ukraine or Russia has about a 1 month window of effect before the other side nullifies it and copies it. We would find the same with our weapons in a war. Drone warfare has become the number one area of innovation now and the casualties (numbers) it inflicts are quite staggering. However, NATO has always put an emphasis on gaining air superiority in a peer-on-peer conflict. With the F-35 we do have a cutting edge fighter, but for how long? I do wonder what effect a large and advanced air fleet would have in this war? Nevertheless, I think modern war between huge nations will come down to, again like WWI and WWII, attrition and economic might.
But yes, I do worry about the readiness and capability of the modern British Armed Forces in a peer-on-peer conflict. I would have to assume it would have to act a bit like the BEF in 1914 whereby it held the line while a sizeable citizen army could be recruited. Could we recruit/conscript modern Brits to fight in a war? I'm not so sure. 80 years of peace and tales of the horrors of world war tend to pacify a people. Even Russia is starting to struggle, after clearing their prisons, and is offering ever larger signing on bonuses and allowing criminal defendants to clear their charges before a court appearance by 'volunteering' for the war, as well as their hefty recruitment from impoverished regions of the world like parts of Africa, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cuba, ...now talk of North Koreans getting involved.
Great talk by the way. I always look forward to your vids!
Liked the new subject matter on current state of HMF
You have been on the 2 way firing range but lay only with a camera. Now that takes balls of steel. Respect from an ex 🇬🇧 infantry soldier
Thanks mate - that means a lot.
Is this normal in ‘peace’ time? Ebs and flows? We saw similar topics come to the forefront when the Herricks picked up in 06- dated kit, lack on manpower etc. roll on 2013/2014, the advancements were fantastic by that point.
On another note, is it worth joining these days? Asking for a friend ahah 😂🤘🏻
The ARMY, is a basket case. All the decent soldiers are leaving the British Army .
It's not just the army, if you walk along any British high street, outside the local government building, you'll be met with every other flag other than the Union Jack. British children and teens are taught to hate their history and be ashamed of their country. The political class (the lawyers, high up business and banking people and the academics) all have no interest in the British military and actively campaign to make the working conditions and care of army personnel as cheap as possible. This political class teaches their posh children that the army is a joke and any one going into it is at the same level as a criminal. Combine that with factors such as you tube that show very clearly the disparity between British army personnel and the US army, in areas such as; quality of food + accommodation, pay levels and national pride in their military (in the UK due to internal radicalism British military personnel are advised to not wear their uniforms in public due to fear of attack) it's hardly surprising that young people aren't wanting to join. I feel Britain is beyond broken at this point.
I grew up 70/80s. Cubs, scouts, cadets we flew the flag had parades on every occasion. Conditioned to have respect to the country and Queen. We were proud. Grandparents fought in the war so we listened to stories. Now if I fly a flag I am racist lol. We don't have the numbers on the ground, as you point out we were unprepared for wars before even under nourished. Though the people were tougher. We don't have a great pool to find recruits and yes tech has come a long way but in war you will need resources to build the tech or even replace the chips or precious metals. I spent the weekend in Birmingham and went to a wedding in a mosque, it was an amazing weekend and I was looked after and not allowed to pay for anything. The shops were full the streets buzzing and there was an amazing community spirit. It reminded me of my youth. As soon as I stepped out of those areas the streets were dead, shops boarded. If we were to fight or be dragged into conflict, say the French send troups to Ukraine and we become entwined openly then we would be stretched and if there was an enemy within, I'm sorry to say we are going to get Beasted. We have no community spirit, religion or binds. Politicians don't seem to have our best interests at heart. We may have had our best days behind us. The 14st 5ft Bobby ain't going to save us 😂
So I live abroad but . . . I hear you re. community spirit. I live in a majority muslim area and I am shocked in a good way at the sense of community. I patrol with the neighbourhood watch and am included in all events. When I was living in a different suburb I didn't even see my neighbours. I don't know how Britain gets that sense of community back now that Christianity is not as strong as it was and there is no sense of patriotism or belonging. I am worried for the future of Britain.
I don't think it will. Unless Parliament is shaken up. History has a way of repeating itself and nothing lasts forever. Wars do bring people together and rebuild. I do enjoy your pieces on the peninsula war. I've been to Vitoria and Galicia. Would like to follow one of the marches on foot. Be funny to wear the uniform whilst doing it, getting the full experience 😂 keep up the good work!
Pointless having any forces when you are giving up your steel industry, in the event of war what will you supply them with once you are blockaded ?
So your not sure that the present Labour government are interested in the army.
But all the gaps in the army and military in general you mention have come after 14 years of conservative government.
Yet many in this country think the tories are the best for the safety and security of the nation.
This really does baffle me?
How do people come to this conclusion?
Well said
It's a false dichotomy, which is what the two party system relies on.
I mean when has Labour ever cared for the military? Has Starmer shown any interest in it either?
Your Tories in the U.K like our Liberals in Australia are not conservative.
Cute it think labour and tories aren't the same party
An excellent video and very interesting 👍 let's hope the Military needs and strength gets better.
-- NO --
There, ww can skip this video, I saved 20 minutes of my time today, I am already feeling productive.
Thank you Chris for this fantastic video…!
I recall reading some time ago that the UK has a smaller military than the Michigan National Guard., and that included a smaller number of combat aircraft.
Well you'd be absolutely wrong with that data.
@@meme4oneu have less combat aircraft than the us national guard
@@Modelstl063 yes and we have free healthcare.
Really great video. Appreciate it.
Never underestimate the British armed forces
Lol
Well in America we do
Great video Chris, well done, Sir.
Thanks, Glad you enjoyed it.
Over 10% of the British Army are not even UK Nationals. Mostly coming from West Africa. This figure does not include the 4000 of The Brigade of Gurkhas. Actually, the smallest figure of foreign nationals in over 100 years. People tend to forget that the KAR did the bullwork of the fighting after Dunkirk. Britain did not fight the Nazi’s. The British Empire fought the Nazi’s. The Indian Army alone contributing 2.5 million men at arms.
The Indians were defending India from the Japanese, I’d look at the per capita casualty rates to see who was doing the real frontline fighting in Europe,, it wasn’t the Indians
@@bushwhackeddos.2703 The British Empire didn’t fight in Europe between June 4th 1940 and June 6th 1944. Thats 4 years. The fighting was going on in East Asia and Africa. The Africans and Indians did a major part of the fighting for the British Empire. There are many channels and history books which cover this. War in Europe ended May 8, 1945. The Second World war ended 2 September 1945. I suggest learning a scintilla of history before commenting.
@@bushwhackeddos.2703 In Just Europe over 50,000 Indian troops fought in the Italian Campaign. A large proportion of Montgomery’s troops were Indian in North Africa fighting against Rommel.
That add campaign at 6mins sums up the army. Expected to do serious and critical roles requiring experience and specialist training, without even the bare minimum of kit required.
The short answer is no, the British Army is too small and has far too many women, the Royal Navy has also been nearly destroyed by the British Government.