British troops must warn their families they could be deployed to fight against Russia, a top soldier has declared.
Warrant Officer Paul Carney urged troops to warn their loved ones that the world faces ‘new realities’ – and that Britain is ‘ready to counter any aggression’.
A warrant officer is a ‘top soldier’ now? I appreciate that NCOs are an important part of our military, but I’m not sure they are the ones to turn to for policy. Although warning troops about potential deployments makes sense from the military’s perspective. Not sure that it is valid as news though. I remember as a naval reservist being given such warnings. Pretty mundane staff really.
What bothers me is the bigging up of a potential conflict with Russia. Why would anyone want to go to war? As I’ve mentioned before, this is not our fight.
He also seems to be a “Top major” (???), and “top brass”. All round top man it seems.
Alternatively, the DM reporter doesn’t have a clue …
Hmmmm, which is it, I wonder?
He is Army Sergeant Major, which is the most senior member of the other ranks in the British Army, so his opinion is valued. This is why he has his own column in Soldier magazine, which is the official magazine of the British army.
I used to work with a bloke who was bemused by the local paper describing someone as a prominent local farmer. He actually knew the guy, he lived in a prominent georgian farmhouse but he worked in a bank. This has been the general standard of journalism for ever, but there is little excuse for such ignorant writing in the internet age.
Crikey, when I trained as a journalist (40 yrs ago) with Westminster Press through the NCTJ, this is exactly the sort of bs we were instructed to avoid. I was taught the old ‘who, what, when, where, why’ style which has apparently gone awol.
WO’s do not even qualify for a salute, and as they are commissioned by the MoD and not HM are usually addressed as merely ‘Sir’, ‘Ma’am’ or simply ‘Mr…’ or ‘Mrs/Ms…’.
Not a senior officer by any stretch of the imagination.
BTW, UK troops should be prepared to fight any enemy, anywhere in the world, at a moment’s notice. Russkis are no exception.
If they want a fight with Russia, or anyone for that matter, off they go. Ta Ta. Have fun.
Leave the rest of us out of it. I have zero desire for a war and will not partake in one just to make some rich people richer/oil people oilier.
My worry is that due to the incompetence of our politicos, we’re going to end up in a shooting war.
At least it shouldn’t last long for us, our military is so pared back that when our first offensive/expeditionary force gets nuked, we’ll have nobody left and will cease to be a viable fighting entity.
Then we can just sit back and let the big boys knock chunks out of each other.
Not our fight.
In one.
Why would we go to war with Russia in support of a country that thinks blowing up the civilian daughter of a civilian you don’t like is the action of heroic freedom fighters, rather than a vile terrorist act?
Dunno. In a war, members of the regime are legitimate targets for assassination. They hit the wrong one, but if it’s true that her father is a member of Putin’s inner circle or adviser, then, he’s a target.