Combat requires heavy weaponry, but James Hippie says the cranes and maintenance to keep this equipment up and running is just as important. Photo: Corporal Daniel Dawson
The UK should prioritize the use of cranes and spare parts over tanks in preparation for a future conflict, said the Secretary of the Armed Forces.
James Hippie said Tuesday at the Royal United Arms Institute's conference on land warfare that «technical infrastructure» is just as important on the battlefield as the tanks that troops carry into battle.
Mr Hippie said: «Politicians have prioritized the number of tanks over the serviceability of our crane, or the capacity or capacity of our technical workshops or our dock.»
He added that it «doesn't make sense» to have many tanks, ships and planes if many of them do not work.
Mr. Hippie made the comments after Army Commander General Sir Patrick Sanders said the war in Ukraine «reminds us that success can only be achieved with a solid industrial base on the ground.»
He warned that it was not enough to «hide behind» the armies of his NATO allies, and added that today's «obsolete» tanks are «rotary dial phones in the iPhone era.»
«A minimum «. the glamorous part of the war.»
However, Mr. Hippie argued that it was the «boring» items, such as cranes and spare parts, that «unleashed the full potential of our existing inventory.»
He added: «Frankly, this is what ultimately ultimately shows the Ministry of Finance that we deserve further investment.” were «M Kill», known as «mobile kills», as opposed to «K Kill», when the set is completely destroyed.
They said: “If you have the capacity of the workshop, mechanics and spare parts, you can restore your platforms and fix them again, which will allow you to restore the mass faster than your opponent.
“This is really the least glamorous part of the war. And yet it is vital.”
Mr. Hippie also stressed that the strength of NATO has provided Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, so far with “containment of the struggle within Ukraine.”
But the minister added: «It is also inevitable that NATO's main adversary has lost 1,500 armored fighting vehicles and tanks over the past year or so without firing a shot from NATO military forces.»
He said that this demonstrated that «there is something about the idea of supporting the partners who support them, but it cannot be at the expense of the authority of the fighting.»
This is happening before the NATO summit. in Lithuania next month, where Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet with Western allies to discuss their response to the crisis.
Mr Hippie added that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made the geopolitical world unsafe.
“In 2000, it was a mistake to say that the state is no longer threatened,” he said.
“All of this is extremism associated with post-9/11 violence. We shouldn't make the same mistake of saying, «Well, you know, post-Russia in Ukraine, now it's all fighting.» paper update as «mid-cycle update».
Despite the fact that the Department of Defense recently received a 2.5 percent increase in long-term spending, he said: “We must make ourselves credible as a fighter with conventional deterrents, which this brings, but not at the expense of our ability to work.”
In his closing remarks at the same conference, General Sir Patrick warned that the UK should “beware of complacency”, despite the possibility” of working with Ukraine.
General Sir Patrick added that although NATO has made a «strong contribution», it requires «continuous and honest investment».
He added that the group was lucky that Finland was now an ally, which joined the alliance in April.
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