Rearming

[RAF>FAN]

So hypothetically speaking.....and fuelled by sun and Strongbow

Russia has kicked off in Ukraine and are sending ships out onto the north Atlantic heading towards Syria and tanks and troops towards the Balcans. Its airforce are probing NATO airspace all over Europe.

China and North Korea are playing silly buggers on the Korean Peninsula and Iran are still causing trouble in the Gulf.

Conflict somewhere with someone looks imminent and Donald has dug his heels in and said he wont commit the US unless Europe steps up to the plate and does it's fair share towards defending the free world.

As the most powerful country? In Europe it's down to the UK to take the lead and start gearing up for war.....but with what.

Every country in Europe has scaled back its military massively since the end of the cold war.

China and Russia have been building their military strength at alarming pace and we need to respond. The days of building ships in a matter of months are 70 years behind us and knocking out tanks at 10 a day are history. If the shit really hit the fan how long would it take for the UK and Europe in general to prepare for a full scale non nuclear conflict with peer adversaries?

Obviously we need to take into consideration the other NATO nations plus Japan, South Korea etc but im thinking more of what the UK would need to do to re-arm for a major full scale conflict.

Again all hypothetical and hopefully never happen....

[RetroSicotte]

SIf the shit really hit the fan how long would it take for the UK and Europe in general to prepare for a full scale non nuclear conflict with peer adversaries?

On suddenly breaking out?

You don't. You come with what you have these days. Peer warfare moves at a lightning speed for major nations and is decided in days. Once one side falters, the other just runs through.

Prep these days needs doing in advance. "Planning for peace" and just hoping for it ceased to be a viable strategy at the turn of the millennium.

[Scimitar54]

It ceased to be a viable strategy many centuries ago!

[Lord Jim]

Unfortunately recent Governments seem to think you can still use UORs to solve any issues, thinking them to be a magic and cheaper alternative to increasing annual defence spending.

[whitelancer]

Unfortunately recent Governments seem to think you can still use UORs to solve any issues, thinking them to be a magic and cheaper alternative to increasing annual defence spending.

Ah yes they think they can run the Armed Forces just like a supermarket or car factory on a just in time basis, unfortunately they don't seem to understand how just in time works in the real world or that it is an unrealistic basis on which to operate the procurement processes for the armed forces. But hey they have a Head Office and a Fulfilment Centre so they must be a proper business.

Realistically it would take years to prepare to take on a peer opponent, depending of course on how well they were prepared among many other factors.

[Jake1992]

It’d take years for to get to the point of being anything more than just a speed bump to a peer like Russia or China, and there’s 2 keep reasons why.

1 - is the amount we’ve let out forces atrophy, the RN would be barely enough to cover the North Sea and it’s entrances to the N.Atlantic, the army is so low and not just under equipped but equipped with so much out dated equipment it’d be brushed aside with little effort, and the RAF don’t have enough MPA AEW and fighters to cover both the UK and forces stationed in Europe.

2 - is the state we’ve let our industry full to, ship building is at a level where currently it’d struggle to build one a year, we have no heavy armour building and are only just getting back our medium armour building capabilities, and our aerospace industry has shrunk to a shadow of its self.

To be a realistic force that can do more than just show face the forces would have to be doubled IMO and that would take more years and more money that we’d have to spare.