Army chief issues chilling WW3 warning - 'only 25 of UK tanks are battle-ready'

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.

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 no 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.

In total, the British Army has 1,055 armoured fighting vehicles, with Challenger 2 supplemented by Boxer, Warrior and the besieged Ajax platform, which has seen all use paused following a spate of injuries to soldiers after spending time inside it.

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.”

His comments come as US President Donald Trump continues to turn his ire on Europe, with his pursuit of Greenland, a Danish territory and member of NATO, putting the entire defensive alliance in jeopardy.

In an emergency press conference in Downing Street on Monday morning, Sir Keir said the future sovereignty of the territory was solely a matter for it and Denmark, adding: “The use of tariffs against allies is completely wrong.

“It is not the right way to resolve differences within an alliance, nor is it helpful to frame efforts to strengthen Greenland security as a justification for economic pressure.”

He said the dispute over the territory, which Mr Trump wants to take over because of its strategic Arctic location, should be resolved through “calm discussion between allies” rather than military action.

The US President again refused to rule out using the armed forces to seize the island just hours after Sir Keir’s press conference, during which he played down the prospect of a US invasion of Greenland.

Asked if he would use force to seize Greenland, the president told NBC News: “No comment.”