According to British media local time on the 17th, the head of the British armed forces warned that Russian President Putin regularly sent Russian warships and fighter jets to spy on British defenses, which was to “show off muscles” in the British backyard.
General Nick Carter, the British Chief of Defence Staff, said it was crucial that Britain should carry out military operations on the edge of Russian territory to demonstrate its “determination not to be intimidated”.
General Nick Carter said at the annual meeting of the Royal Joint Military Research Institute (RUSI) that Russia represents the most serious “state threat” in the Euro-Atlantic region, and stressed that Russia is “determined to test Britain and our NATO allies”.
“Last week, Russia gathered about 10 warships and fighter jets from the northern, Baltic and Black Sea fleets to the waters off the British and Irish coasts,” Carter said. He said, “They show off their muscles in our own backyard, which has not been shown since the Cold War. To contain these threats and send a signal to the Russian regime that if these threats escalate, we will not tacitly, which requires conventional hard power – warships and aircraft – and unconventional capabilities such as networks. This requires us to also put their backyards at risk, whether it is in the Barents Sea, the northern Highlands, the Baltic Sea or the Black Sea.
General Carter also talked about the nature of war in his speech. He said: “From beginning to end, we must realize that the nature of war will not change. It’s always about violence, courage and people. When you face a firm opponent on the battlefield, you must fight against your enemies closely. I’m afraid it’s too early to say that tanks are going to die.”
