British Army Chief: Russia Poses Bigger Threat than ISIS, Al-Qaeda
Dan Arkin
| 28/11/2018
Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: AP)
Russia poses a bigger threat to Britain's security than terrorist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda, British Army Chief Gen. Mark Carleton-Smith said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.
"Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS," he told The Daily Telegraph.
"Russia has embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the non-traditional areas of cyber, space, undersea warfare."
"The physical manifestation of the Islamist threat has diminished with the complete destruction of the geography of the so-called Caliphate," he said. "We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested. The most important conventional military response to Russia is the continued capabilities and coherence of the NATO alliance."
Gen. Carleton-Smith also took the opportunity to downplay the need for a separate European army, as recently encouraged by French President Emmanuel Macron.
"I would not support any initiative that diluted the military effectiveness of NATO," he said. "NATO represents the fundamental gravity of European security. It has been an extraordinarily successful alliance and, in my experience, we should reinforce success."
Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: AP)
Russia poses a bigger threat to Britain's security than terrorist groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda, British Army Chief Gen. Mark Carleton-Smith said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.
"Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS," he told The Daily Telegraph.
"Russia has embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the non-traditional areas of cyber, space, undersea warfare."
"The physical manifestation of the Islamist threat has diminished with the complete destruction of the geography of the so-called Caliphate," he said. "We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested. The most important conventional military response to Russia is the continued capabilities and coherence of the NATO alliance."
Gen. Carleton-Smith also took the opportunity to downplay the need for a separate European army, as recently encouraged by French President Emmanuel Macron.
"I would not support any initiative that diluted the military effectiveness of NATO," he said. "NATO represents the fundamental gravity of European security. It has been an extraordinarily successful alliance and, in my experience, we should reinforce success."
