The British Army’s senior-most officer suggested that in the future, “no crewed ground vehicles should ever deploy without a supporting array of uncrewed ground vehicles.”

The British Army is on track to have far fewer tanks in service in the coming decades, but unmanned systems, including autonomous and semi-autonomous land-based and aerial drones, could support those vehicles. Chief of the General Staff Gen. Sir Roland “Roly” Vincent Walker, the highest-ranking officer in the British Army, claimed that future British tanks would be supported by land drones.

Walker made the comments at the RUSI Land Warfare Conference in London this week, suggesting it would come as part of a shift to a more agile and tech-enabled fighting force, according to The Telegraph.

“In the future, no crewed ground vehicles should ever deploy without a supporting array of uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs),” Walker said. “I expected to see much greater numbers of remote and autonomous systems on [NATO’s] eastern flank ready to strike in 30 minutes.”

The war in Ukraine has shown that tanks aren’t obsolete on the modern battlefield, but they are vulnerable to small one-way attack drones in ways that they were not as recently as a few years ago. Despite the prevalence of such drones, however, armor is still essential for breakthroughs and then holding ground from a counter-attack. Just as modern fighter aircraft rely heavily on electronic warfare and active-defense systems to survive, so too will the modern MBTs.

The UK Badly Needs More Defense Spending

The UK has committed to spending 2.5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on a NATO-qualifying defense program by April 2027, and has set a goal to increase that number to 3 percent by 2030. The UK is a member of NATO, and has agreed to the alliance-wide pledge to reach 5 percent defense spending by 2035.

Increased military spending would be welcome for the British military, which is in a sorry state. The Royal Navy’s fleet is now at its smallest size in centuries, and the Army’s tank force is a shell of its former self.

Increased defense spending could help address those issues and ensure that the UK is pulling its weight with NATO.

“We are an alliance state, and alliances aren’t sustained by sentiment, they are shaped by credible contribution, and the blunt truth that we, as soldiers, know is that in an alliance, blood is the hardest and most precious currency,” Walker said.

The UK continues to invest in drones to increase the Royal Navy’s capabilities, and now unmanned systems could play an equally important role with the British Army.

How Could the British Army Use Land Drones?

General Walker’s statements on the use of drones were made as it was also reported that hundreds of British Army soldiers will soon start drone and electronic warfare training at a post in Canada. Next month, the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) in Alberta, Canada—the British Army’s largest armored training facility—will initiate the first drone-specific exercises.

Around 350 British troops from the Parachute Regiment will also train alongside their Canadian Army counterparts in the upcoming “Rhino Biz” exercises, where the focus will shift from the traditional tank and artillery maneuvers and drills to one that relies increasingly on drones and other unmanned systems, similar to the warfare now being waged in Ukraine.

“Canada and the United Kingdom, together, are working to reinvigorate Suffield,” Lieutenant-General Michael Wright, commander of the Canadian Army, said ahead of the exercises. “It’s less about large-scale training, and it’s much more about using what a fantastic training area in Southern Alberta to test the types of capabilities that both of our armies know that we need.”

The Canadian facility is useful for the training, as strict civil aviation regulations in the UK make it difficult for drone and counter-drone training. The British Army has used the BATUS training grounds since 1972.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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