The Army Chief aims to double fighting power within three years and triple it by the end of the decade.

General Sir Roly Walker, the new Chief of the General Staff, has outlined plans to increase the “lethality” of the British Army without the need for additional personnel, in response to an “increasingly aligned axis of upheaval.” In his first public address, he set ambitious goals to double the Army’s fighting power within three years and triple it by the end of the decade, leveraging emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.

Sir Roly acknowledged the Army’s ongoing struggle to shift from a “big army mindset,” where the belief that raw troop numbers alone determine fighting strength still persists. Instead, he emphasized the Army’s medium size as a driving force for greater integration with joint forces.

Although his vision for the Army’s future is clear, Sir Roly admitted that if a battle were to occur before his planned overhaul is complete, the forces would rely on older military hardware, working within the limitations of their stockpiles and logistic systems. Nevertheless, he sees the hybrid system, blending old and new technologies, as a temporary but effective solution, encouraging resilience and creativity within the troops.

Sir Roly’s background includes significant service with the Irish Guards and SAS, with deployments in Northern Ireland, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He emphasized the urgent need for the Army to modernize quickly, to ensure that Britain’s land forces are ready for future challenges and can play a central role in the nation’s deterrence strategy.