“This is our moment. Seize it,” the Army’s new chief, General Patrick Sanders, said yesterday at the Land Warfare Conference, the military’s annual rain check. He said he was giving his first operational order for the Army, under the title Operation Mobilise, for the forces to prepare on a war footing for what lies ahead in Ukraine, Europe and beyond. This also means adaptation for resilience and support at home.
The speech was a call to arms and one of the most clear-sighted summaries of what we need to do in defence and security for quite some time. The priorities are clear: supporting the independence of Ukraine and meeting a series of risks and threats — from the ambiguity of China in the world crisis generated from Ukraine, to what global privations of food and fuel will bring.
