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Today in Focus

Is Britain fit to fight a war?

Today in Focus

The Guardian

News, Daily News

4.65.9K Ratings

🗓️ 1 February 2024

⏱️ 25 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The British army has been struggling to attract applicants for years. Why don’t young people want to sign up? Dan Sabbagh reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is the Guardian.

0:09.0

Today, when the British Army says your country needs you. Why so many young people Money Account, you can drop

0:27.8

from Acapulco to Zurich. That means no fix here.

0:31.6

Fondroin. No fus here. Fondro.

0:33.0

No fus here, howdy and definitely no fus here.

0:38.0

Pay no Hs B.C. fees overseas with a global money account.

0:41.0

HsB.

0:42.0

U.S. Opening up a world of opportunity.

0:44.4

Available to H.S.B.

0:45.4

U.S.C. U.K. customers with an eligible current account.

0:47.2

Exclude some accounts such as the H.S.B.C. basic bank account for mobile banking

0:50.2

app users only.

0:51.0

Non-H.S.BHSPC fees may apply.

0:53.0

When the head of the British Army, Sir Patrick Sanders, looks out over the world, he sees dark clouds.

1:08.0

Russia's war in Ukraine. What's happening in Gaza? Growing tensions with China?

1:13.0

Recently, speaking at a military conference, General Sanders said the country

1:18.0

needed to start preparing itself for an all-out war. Like the one in Ukraine, where nearly every person in the country

1:25.0

would have to serve in some way.

1:27.4

And he reckons, the UK isn't ready.

1:30.7

Gen Z are signing up to the armed forces in fewer numbers than generations before.

1:36.0

His comments have kicked off a debate over the past few days,

1:40.0

that's mostly been about why kids these days are so lazy, so unpatriotic, so unwilling to sit in a

...

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