General Sir Patrick Sanders, Chief of the General Staff of the British armed forces until June, claims Russia, China, and Iran are “the new Axis powers,” and arguably more of a threat than the Second World War alliance of Germany, Italy, Japan, and others.
“They are more interdependent and more aligned than the original Axis powers were,” he argues, claiming a Third World War is probable if Britain and the West more generally do not expand their militaries and military production capacity within the next few years.
“Most estimates will tell you that we’ve got somewhere between five and 10 years before Russia recapitalizes and is able to pose the sort of threat that it did before the Ukraine war,” he said.
Reflecting on British military capabilities, Sir Patrick expressed concerns about his country’s readiness to undertake large-scale operations, saying it is no longer capable of fighting a conflict like the Falklands War.
Previously, Sir Patrick said Britain is now in a “pre-war” phase. The Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, is using the same language, telling the press, “I know it sounds devastating, especially to people of the younger generation, but we have to mentally get used to a new era. We are in a pre-war era. I don’t exaggerate. This is becoming more and more apparent every day.”
The National Pulse reported earlier this year that Russian shell manufacturers are currently outproducing the U.S. and Europe by a factor of three to one.
Meanwhile, expensive high-tech weaponry sent to Ukraine by the U.S. and its allies is fast becoming obsolete due to Russian jamming technology.
Chris Tomlinson contributed to this report.
