- General Sir Patrick Sanders told British troops that they must "prepare to fight in Europe once again," the BBC reported.
- He said it was the first time since 1941 to take command of the army in the shadow of a land war in Europe.
The new chief of the
General Sir Patrick Sanders took up his position on Monday and addressed all ranks and civil servants in an internal message seen by the BBC, warning about the challenges the war in Ukraine poses.
The BBC reported that the message, said, "we are the generation that must prepare the Army to fight in Europe once again."
He said troops must be ready "to protect the UK and be ready to fight and win wars on land" and that there is a "burning imperative to forge an army capable of fighting alongside our allies and defeating
In the message, General Sanders described himself as "the first Chief of the General Staff since 1941 to take command of the army in the shadow of a land war in Europe involving a continental power."
This statement comes after Prime Minister
Before Putin's Russia invaded Ukraine the UK was planning to reduce the size of its armed forces to 72,500 by 2025, reported the BBC.