What, it should be asked, does Vladimir Putin see when he peers across at the British armed forces? It cannot be claimed that they fill him with dread. All agree – and it is not unpatriotic, or disrespectful to service personnel, to say so – that for all the professionalism and bravery of HM Forces, their capacity has been “hollowed out” over a very long time. Britain is vulnerable. It has been for years.
Long after the post-Cold War “peace dividend” had ceased, and Russia’s rampant revanchism became clear, the British government clung to the convenient pretence that Russia could still be deterred, and that, in any case, Nato and the US security guarantee would forever protect our continent.
