WAR WOUNDED
Britain’s ‘hollowed out’ Armed Forces would only last a couple of months in war with Putin, damning report warns
Watch the Sun's exclusive footage of British troops preparing for war with Russia in a freezing arctic training camp
BRITAIN'S Army is not prepared for a full-blown war with Russia, MPs have warned in a damning new report.
The armed forces would only last a "couple of months" in battle as fears grow that the world is inching closer to a third World War with mad despot Putin.
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The chilling report warns that Britain's army is "overstretched" and the UK will not be ready to fight until ministers can fix stockpile shortages and shore up reserves.
The Commons Defence Select Committee has spent a year compiling the chilling new report, which warns that UK ammo is "far below the level required to counter with certainty a threat from the Russian Army.”
And General Nick Carter, former British Army Officer and ex Chief of Defence Staff, warned that the army would "have exhausted their capabilities after the first couple of months of the engagement".
They discovered that the almost £2 billion in funding allocated to the British Army last year may now have to be spent on plugging the gaps in our defences - instead of boosting reserves.
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It comes amid continuing reports from around the world that Russia could be well on its way to a war with Nato.
The Western alliance recently began its biggest war games since the end of the Cold War in preparation.
Some 90,000 troops are taking part in the months-long Steadfast Defender exercise to rehearse Nato’s response in case of a wider Russian invasion.
It comes as Britain's flagship aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth was pulled from a Nato drill because of a faulty propeller shaft today.
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She was due to set sail this morning from Portsmouth to take part in Steadfast Defender - but is not up to the task and will be replaced by another vessel.
Experts have warned The Sun that the tyrant will surely head West in his campaign of terror.
Just days ago Armed Forces Minister James Heappey warned war was a real possibility to British Royal Marines at Camp Viking in Øverbygd, during the war game drills.
He said: “These training scenarios are not just scenarios. They are something you may be asked to do over your careers.”
Speaking to The Sun, Heappey explained that if Nato went to war with Russia, Britain’s main role would be fighting in Arctic conditions, which are the toughest in the world.
He stressed the need for the Government to make “difficult choices” in order to ramp up defence spending “as fast as possible”.
But the damning report to come out of parliament suggests the UK is far from ready for a war with Russia - let alone one fought in icy wastelands.
It read: “The UK Armed Forces have deployed above their capacity in response to the worsening security situation, but all have capability shortfalls and stockpile shortages, and are losing personnel faster than they can recruit them.”
Where would Britain fight in a war with Russia?
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey warned The Sun that Britain could end up fighting Russia in Arctic conditions - the toughest in the world.
Heappey explained that Britain would need to be operating in parts of Europe near the Arctic Circle, which is an extreme environment.
British Royal Marines have been training at arctic base Camp Viking in Norway as part of Nato drills designed to prepare Europe for war with Russia.
The frozen ground and icy wastelands make for a brutal backdrop to battleground conflict.
Marines would have to use cross-country skis, camouflaged snowmobiles, enhanced night-vision goggles and special overalls to hide them from thermal drones.
Conscripted Brits could spend weeks living in the brutal northern conditions, where temperatures often plunge below –20°C.
Troops currently doing drills at Camp Viking are using lookouts dug out of the snow where they eat, sleep and go to the toilet in bags for days or weeks at a time.
Heappey warned that it's not just the conflict that could kill British troops fighting Russia - but the environment they may have to fight in.
The inquiry revealed that hollowing out of armed forces reserves over the last decade has undermined the UK’s war-fighting resilience.
Committee chair and Tory MP Sir Jeremy Quin said: “A steady, continuous drip of operations and ongoing commitments has meant the military is unable to devote sufficient training and resources to high-intensity warfighting.
“While able to deploy at short notice and to fulfil commitments, our inquiry found that readiness for all-out, prolonged war has received insufficient attention and needs intense ongoing focus.
“On top of this, the high tempo of operations and unrelenting pressure on our Services has led to a drop in retention, compounded by a period of low recruitment and difficulties introducing and maintaining capabilities, thereby creating a vicious cycle.”
PM Rishi Sunak has pledged to spend 2.5 per cent on defence when the economy allows but Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Defence Secretary Grant Shapps both said Britain should spend three per cent on defence when they ran for the Tory leadership.
Heappey dubbed the 2.5 per cent "welcome", but warned that it needs to come as quickly as possible and more funds will need to follow.
And General Sir Patrick Sanders, Chief of the General Staff, warned that ministers may need to "mobilise the nation" as the army is "too small".
Admiral Rob Bauer - chair of the Nato military committee - allso warned this week that civilians need to be ready for a conflict that will change their lives.
As the globe faces its "most dangerous and volatile moment" in history, large numbers of private citizens will need to be mobilised.
Defence Secretary Shapps warned weeks ago that the globe is “moving from a post-war to pre-war world” and the UK must ensure its “entire defence ecosystem is ready”.
He insisted the size of the Army would not dip below 73,000 under the Conservatives ahead of an upcoming general election.
But the immediate issue may be more lethal than political - as tensions rise between the UK and the Middle East as well as Russia.
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How likely is a war with Russia?
It's been almost two years since Putin launched his blood-thirsty invasion of Ukraine and tensions between Russia and the West continue to rise.
Officials claim Russia has lost more than 360,000 troops, while Ukraine has lost close to 70,000 since Ukraine was invaded in February 2022.
Many fear the conflict could develop into a wider armed war, with officials warning that it could be the bloodiest conflict in Europe since WW2 - especially if it results in nuclear war.
And with reports of Putin’s health deteriorating, there are fears that he could turn to nuclear nucler weapons out of desperation.
Ukraine has fought back courageously in the last two years and continued to defy the odds by defending itself against Russian onslaughts with the help of Western military aid.
In November 2022, WW3 tensions grew after it was reported that Russian-built missiles had crossed into Poland, a Nato country.
Although the stray missile was likely fired by Ukraine as it defended its territory from a Russian onslaught, the incident marked the first time a Nato country has been hit during Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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North Korea is also ready to pounce on the West as Putin's alliance with deranged leader Kim Jong-Un continues to grow.
And leaked bombshell documents laid out a fully-fledged simulation for what a war between Russia and Nato would look like.
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