British Army Chief: UK Must Be Ready for War by 2027

The Chief of the General Staff of the British Army has outlined the military’s development goals to ensure readiness for a potential war in 2027.

According to the UK Defence Journal, General Roland Walker stated that the primary responsibility is to reorganize the country’s ground forces to effectively respond to modern security challenges.

“We cannot wait for the perfect military of 2035; we must transform the army we have today,” he said, adding, “My ambition remains to double our combat power by 2027 compared to where we were in 2024, and to triple it by 2030.”

Walker stated that technology, particularly artificial intelligence, would be central to this transformation.

Based on this, he proposed a future “20:40:40” approach to lethality, in which a smaller share of combat power would come from crewed heavy platforms (infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, attack helicopters), while unmanned systems and low-cost, disposable strike assets would provide a larger share.

“These are cheap, expendable effectors that can be produced quickly and made available at scale,” he said.

The Chief of the General Staff noted that since September last year, the UK has invested more than £200 million in its domestic weapons systems. He added that these efforts support force formations intended for potential operations as well as support for Ukraine.

However, he believes that a focus on unmanned systems should not come at the expense of armored vehicle survivability. According to him, the initial operational capability of Challenger 3 tanks is still expected in 2027.

Manufacturers must also resolve issues with the tracked armored vehicles of the Ajax family that were identified during their operation. The general is also counting on the deployment of 600 Boxer wheeled armored personnel carriers, a program that has previously faced problems.

Meanwhile, he mentioned that the first RCH155 self-propelled howitzers are expected to be delivered in 2029, and also confirmed progress on adapting the Patria 6×6 armored personnel carrier to the requirements of the British Army under the CAVS program.

The British Army is also planning to award a contract to replace the outdated Land Rover and Pinzgauer vehicles, aiming to replace more than 13,000 vehicles across the force.