Is Britain fit to fight a war? – podcast

“Taking preparatory steps to enable placing our societies on a war footing when needed are now not merely desirable but essential,” the head of the British army, Gen Sir Patrick Sanders, told the International Armoured Vehicles conference last week.

His speech, which had not been signed off by the government, argued that as “Ukraine brutally illustrates … regular armies start wars; citizen armies win them”.

Dan Sabbagh, the Guardian’s defence and security editor, tells Michael Safi why the army has struggled to find new recruits in recent years. He explains how poor pay, mouldy accommodation, and reports of sexual harassment have contributed to potential recruits being put off the career. He also says that young people who grew up aware of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are worried about being deployed in a conflict with a “flawed premise”.

“If I’m joining the military, and that’s what I’m going to be used for … then do I want to be part of that?”