Following Sanders’ comments, the UK government said on Wednesday that it has no plans to introduce conscription.
Sanders, who was speaking at an armoured vehicles conference in southwest London, said: “Taking preparatory steps to enable placing our societies on a war footing when needed are now not merely desirable but essential.
“Within the next three years, it must be credible to talk of a British Army of 120,000, folding in our reserve and strategic reserve.”
The general, who steps down later this year, said the UK could not rely on its navy and air power, arguing that “we must be able to credibly fight and win wars on land”. UK allies were already doing so, he said.
“Our friends in eastern and northern Europe, who feel the proximity of the Russian threat more acutely, are already acting prudently, laying the foundations for national mobilisation,” he added. “Ukraine brutally illustrates that regular armies start wars; citizen armies win them.”
Russia seeks more conscripts as Ukraine war grinds on
Russia seeks more conscripts as Ukraine war grinds on
Last week the chair of Nato’s military committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, said civilians in member states should be prepared for a potential future war with Russia. A large number of civilians would have to be called up if conflict accelerates in Europe, he added.
British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said that the UK wants to increase defence spending from 2.1 per cent of GDP to 2.5 per cent in the future.
In a speech last week the minister said that the world was “moving from a post-war to pre-war world”. The UK, he said, must ensure its “entire defence ecosystem is ready” to defend its homeland.
Richard Dannatt, who was chief of the general staff from 2006 to 2009, compared the current situation to the 1930s when the “woeful” state of the UK’s armed forces failed to deter Nazi aggression.
On Wednesday, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman, Max Blain, said the government “has no intention” of introducing conscription.
“The British military has a proud tradition of being a voluntary force. There are no plans to change that,” he said.
He added that “engaging in hypothetical wars” was “not helpful”.
The British Army conscripted soldiers during World War I, and again during and after World War II, but it has been an all-volunteer force for most of its 364-year history.
Additional reporting by Associated Press