The United Kingdom would have to cover its own backside in the event of a full-scale war with Russia.

A top US general has spoken out claiming that Uncle Sam would not be able to “plug the gaps” in the UK’s armed forces. The stark warning has been issued by the head of the US Army General Randy George, who said that the UK’s defence capabilities need to be self-sufficient.

Speaking on a UK tour he said that huge stockpiles of ammunition required for large guns and artillery were vital and explained it was crucial the UK arrives at any conflict with all the weapons it needs. He explained that helping the UK in the event of conflict would “be difficult for another army”. General George added: “What I would want out of the British army? You have to have magazine depth.

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“Whatever formations you have, do you have all the ammunition you need to sustain yourself over a long fight?”

Adding what he seemingly regarded as the vital element, General George said: “If you are going to come to the fight make sure you have every capability on the battlefield because it will be difficult for another army to provide that.”

All manner of equipment types are needed, including air defence missiles and electronic warfare devices, vital for protecting troops on the front. A conflict that involved the UK would rightly be expected to also involve all of its NATO allies.

General George continued: "One of the lessons from Ukraine is we can have the best weapons in the world, but if we run out of bullets it won’t matter a damn. We are going to have to have bullets and ammo at scale.”

He noted that the world was more dangerous in his 36 years of military service than he had seen it. The UK’s army is currently the smallest it has been in 300 years.

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