As Carter, who will step down as chief of staff next week, said in an exclusive interview during his eight years in office, he had to radically transform the way the country's armed forces work. According to the general, this was necessary due to major changes both in terms of threats to the United Kingdom and in terms of the country's ability to respond to them. Carter noted that in the summer of 2014, when he headed the General Staff, there were "disputes" over whether the main threat to the national security of the United Kingdom came from extremism or from Russia. "At the time, the argument for violent extremism prevailed," the general said.
However, in the last three years, he said, the situation has changed. Although terrorism is still a major concern, with the assassination of Conservative MP David Ames and the attempted bomb blast at a Liverpool hospital, the Russian "threat" has already come to the fore.
"In 2018, the Skripal family was attacked in Salisbury and it became clear that Russia is the most serious threat to our country," Carter said. In this regard, Carter, by his own admission, led the most radical restructuring of Britain's combat capabilities since the end of the Cold War. The changes had to take into account not only the new threats, but also the rapidly changing nature of modern warfare. In particular, according to the British military, opponents such as Russia are increasingly resorting to non-traditional means of warfare, such as cyberattacks or creating a migration crisis on Europe's borders. "Today, threats appear not so much in the form of traditional threats as in the form of what I call gray area activity, when opponents see the world as a constant struggle in which all the tools of power can be used as long as they do not lead to open war, "Carter was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph. According to the Chief of General Staff, he is primarily concerned that Russia's "constant provocative actions" could lead to serious error or miscalculation, which could easily lead to an outbreak of open conflict. In this regard, the general emphasizes that he sees no alternative to cooperation with foreign countries, including Russia, "so that we understand each other as well as possible."
Also, in addition to Russia, Carter, he admits, has serious concerns about China and Iran's continued interference in the Middle East. "We are following these things," the general added. Carter, meanwhile, said he did not believe the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan this summer would push opponents to the idea that the West had exhausted its fighting forces. "The Russians lasted only 10 years in Afghanistan, and we - 20 years. It would be unreasonable for the Russians to conclude that the West is dead, "the military added.
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