By David Young-
The army chief has said that uk sons and daughters should prepare for war with Russia
In January 2024, the then-head of the British Army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, (pictured) stated that the UK public is a “pre-war generation” and that citizens should be prepared to contribute to a potential war effort, implying the need for a “citizen army” to win a future conflict with Russia.
His comments did not specifically use the phrase “sons and daughters,” but conveyed a similar message about national mobilization.
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General Sanders described the British people as a “pre-war generation” who must similarly prepare for the possibility of war, an undertaking he stressed should be “whole-of-nation”.
“Citizen armies win them”.
He argued, “Ukraine brutally illustrates that regular armies start wars; citizen armies win them,” indicating that a voluntary, national call-up would be necessary in a large-scale conflict.
Not a call for immediate conscription.
The General was not making an argument for mandatory national service at the time, but rather laying the groundwork for a voluntary call-up if a war were to break out. Downing Street quickly ruled out any move toward a conscription model, maintaining that the UK military would remain a voluntary force.
Highlighting the threat.
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He highlighted the actions of countries like Sweden, Finland, and Estonia, which have taken steps to put their populations on a “war footing” and improve national resilience with measures like public bomb shelters and food storage instructions..
Sanders repeatedly expressed concern over the shrinking size of the British Army, which has fallen significantly since the end of the Cold War, and argued that even a 120,000-strong army would not be enough to fight an all-out war with Russia without a broader national effort.
Warning of a”1937 moment”.
In a previous speech in June 2022, he warned that the world was experiencing a “1937 moment,” where rapid action was needed to avoid being drawn into war through a failure to contain territorial expansion, much like the lead-up to World War II.
General Sanders made these comments in January 2024, shortly before he was replaced as Chief of the General Staff. Other senior military figures have echoed his warnings, with the Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, most recently urging the entire nation to “step up” to deter Russian threats in December 2025.
These guides cover the former Army Chief’s warnings regarding national readiness for war and the concept of citizen armies.
Air Chief Marshal Knighton said he agreed with his French counterpart, General Fabien Mandon, who said last month that France must be ready for the possibility of losing its children in a potential war with Russia.
“The situation is more dangerous than I have known during my career, and the price of peace is rising,” the British defence chief said.
“Our response needs to go beyond simply strengthening our armed forces. It needs a whole of nation response that builds our defence industrial capacity, grows the skills we need, harnesses the power of the institutions we will need in wartime and ensures and increases the resilience of society and the infrastructure that supports it.”
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