WW3 fears have skyrocketed in recent years (Image: SWNS)
Dramatic scenes that show just how WW3 might unfold reveal the British Army preparing for catastrophe on UK soil. Army reserves put their medical expertise to the test alongside Scottish rescue services this month – with one haunting image depicting a simulated infant casualty being saved.
Numerous wounded individuals, portrayed by actual people and medical mannequins, required treatment and evacuation as the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and the Scottish Multi-Agency Resilience Training and Exercise Unit (SMARTEU) conducted the drill at the SFRS National Training Centre in Cambuslang on January 17.
Personnel from 144 (Parachute) Medical Squadron, stationed in Glasgow and representing the sole reserve medical unit with parachute capabilities, participated in the multi-agency exercise.
The MOD stated: “They provide vital dismounted first-line medical and secondary healthcare support to both soldiers and civilians all over the world, as part of the Global Rapid Reaction Force.”
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Sir Richard warned the UK had failed to invest in defence during peacetime (Image: SWNS)
Germany prepares hospitals for mass casualties within three years
The head of the German armed forces support command (UstgKdoBw) is preparing his country to cope with mass amounts of wounded soldiers in as little as two to three years. This comes as global concerns have been raised over Russia launching an all-out war of aggression on NATO. He revealed that Germany’s hospitals could become so full in a way that wasn’t seen since the Covid pandemic. He described how he was preparing his troops in an interview with The Times.
In stark contrast to Germany’s preparedness, a former British Army General has warned that the UK is underprepared for conflict, with just 25 tanks “battle-ready”. General Sir Richard Shirreff, a former NATO Deputy Supreme Commander Europe, gave the stark warning as he highlighted the contrast between European nations’ defence spending approaches in recent years and those of our adversaries.
UK military arsenal allowed to ‘slip towards oblivion’
Sir Richard warned the UK had failed to invest in defence during peacetime, leaving it on the back foot as global tensions rise. He wrote: “The truth is that since NATO was formed in 1949, Britain has allowed its military arsenal to slip towards oblivion. In 1989, the British Army could count on around 156,000 soldiers.
“By 2010, that number had fallen towards 110,000. Today, it is closer to 70,000. In the 1990s, Britain bought 400 Challenger 2 tanks. Today, we have just over 200 with – staggeringly – just 25 deemed battle-ready,” he told the Daily Mail.
The latest figures released by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) show that the British Army currently has 288 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks, up from 219 in 2024.
It is not known how many of these are in a state where they could be deployed on operations. In 2023, a disclosure during a Defence Committee session revealed just 157 Challenger 2s were operational out of a total fleet of just over 200 vehicles.
Sir Richard added: “While other countries such as China, Russia and the US have continued to spend money on defence, fixing the roof while the sun shines, Britain and the rest of Europe have become fat and happy on welfare handouts.”
A former Tory MP predicted the UK could be “at war with Russia in the next five years” (Image: SWNS)
Former First Sea Lord calls situation ‘a disgrace’
The number of the Royal Navy’s warships and submarines ready for operations has sunk to what’s been described as a historic low, prompting outrage. The Senior Service has been experiencing availability issues in its fleet in recent years amid growing Russian activity around the British coast.
Only 50% of the Navy’s 63 ships are currently able to deploy, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Only half of the advanced Type 45 destroyer fleet is available, while a quarter of Type 23 frigates are out of action, reports say.
Former First Sea Lord, Lord West, said the number of operational warships is a “disgrace” and that the Navy is now “a bit of a joke.”
WW3 fears have skyrocketed in recent years, with several conflicts and global tensions developing. Namely, Russia’s war in Ukraine, following its invasion of the country in 2022, has sparked numerous responses from the international community, including NATO. This, along with conflict in the Middle East and Trump’s desire to take control of Greenland, has elevated fears of a third World War.
SWNS_UK_DISASTER_05_125019.jpg (Image: Russia is already in a greyzone war with the UK)
Former-MP warns UK could be ‘at war with Russia in next five years’
A former Tory MP predicted the UK could be “at war with Russia in the next five years” as he laid out a prime UK target location.
Tobias Ellwood, a former Tory MP, claimed that Russia was already in a “greyzone war” with the UK, which focuses on campaigns such as cyberattacks, disinformation and espionage.
The defence expert predicted that places such as Britain’s busiest airport, Heathrow, could be in the firing line.
He told the Express: “I think in the next 5 years, easily, we will be at war with Russia. A lot of this will be a grayzone war with skirmishes and incidents at sea. A lot of this will be economic sabotage to cause hardship in the UK.”