Lords committee considers the implications of the Ukraine war for UK ground forces

The session will start at 3:15pm and will be available to watch live or on demand at Parliament TV, or attend in person in Committee Room 4, Palace of Westminster.

Giving evidence will be:

• General (ret’d) Sir Nick Carter GCB CBE DSO ADC Gen, former Chief of the Defence Staff and;
• Dr Peter Roberts, Senior Fellow, Centre for Public Understanding of Defence and Security, University of Exeter.

Questions will include:

• We have heard throughout this inquiry that the war in Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of “mass” to counter attrition. What does this suggest to you for future force design and, particularly, the size of the British Army? To what extent is the lesson of the importance of “mass” applicable to the UK context?
• Based on your observations of the conflict in Ukraine so far, what other key features of the war can we draw interim lessons from for UK ground forces?
• In 2021, as part of its Future Soldier concept, the MoD announced it would reduce the size of the British Army to 73,000 by 2025, with the Reserves growing to 30,100. In your view, do these numbers provide a realistic match to current and future threats?
• The independent Haythornthwaite Review made 67 recommendations to the Government on military recruitment. In your view, has the MoD made any positive changes to its recruitment and retention processes following publication of the review and what more, if anything, should be done?
• What is your assessment of the state of the Army’s current reserve forces? How can the Army better train and utilise the Reserves?
• Is the training currently provided to regulars sufficient and, if not, how can it be improved? What role can new technologies, such as virtual reality, play in facilitating this training?