UK issued urgent World War 3 warning as army chief's 'three years away' prediction nears
Nearly three years ago, a top UK army chief warned that the UK would be facing World War 3 in “three years time” – and now we're just months away from it. The deadline set by General Sir Roly Walker expires at the start of next year, and it saw him give an ominous, almost Baba Vanga-like prediction of what would happen in the future. Speaking in July 2024, he said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “very, very dangerous” and wanted “retribution” against the UK regardless of whether or not Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a success.
And after point to an “axis of upheaval” with Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, he explained: “The point here is when you think they [the Russians] are down, they will come roaring back to get their vengeance.” He then predicted that geopolitical tensions between the West and Russia and China could culminate in a global conflict by 2027 or 2028. He continued: “That is why you get to this point by... 2027-2028 this convergence may have reached some sort of mutual singularity and your ability to deal with them in isolation - a specific crisis that can be managed by the rules-based system - I think is significantly diminished.
"A problem in one area is likely to trigger a sympathetic detonation in another and therefore it is a global problem looked at from different perspectives around the world. "I am saying we are not on an inexorable path to war but what we do have is an absolute urgency to restore credible hard power in order to underwrite deterrence." At the time, he went on to warn that "We have just enough time to prepare, act, and assure the re-establishment of credible land forces to support a strategy of deterrence,” but nearly three years on – and with time seemingly running out – political debates continue about funding for the UK's armed forces and how much more money is needed.
This saw Prime Minister Andy Burnham make more comments over the weekend, where he said that he wanted to “give our Armed Forces the funding and equipment you need to keep this country safe, as well as the good housing, training, and support you deserve”. Before adding: “This is a world where once again it’s become necessary to stand up for our values and stand alongside our allies.” The government aims to reach 3% of GDP in the next parliament and scale up to 3.5% of GDP by 2035 to align with NATO targets – just eight years after we're supposed to be fighting World War 3.
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