Britain’s Military 'Not Good Enough' to Deal with Jihadi Threat, Warns Ex-defence Chief

Lord Richards asked in his maiden speech in the House of Lords:
'Are our armed forces in a fit state to play their role in dealing with
these and other risks to our way of life?'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Lord Richards of Hertsmonceux also calls for defence spending to increase as the economy starts to grow again and says that if plans to replace regular troops with part-time reserves must work soon or junked altogether.

Britain’s military is "not good enough” to deal with the global threat of Jihadis, according to a former head of the military.

Lord Richards of Hertsmonceux also called for defence spending to increase as the economy starts to grow again and said that if plans to replace regular troops with part-time reserves must work soon or junked altogether.

The comments from Lord Richards – who as General Sir David Richards was chief of the defence staff from October 2010 to July last year – will sound alarm bells in Whitehall.

In his maiden speech in the House of Lords on Monday evening the peer questioned whether Britain’s armed forces would be in a “fit state” to deal with threats from terrorists.

He said: “Are our armed forces in a fit state to play their role in dealing with these and other risks to our way of life? » | Christopher Hope, Senior Political Correspondent | Monday, June 23, 2014