The leader of the British Army has issued a warning that citizens of the United Kingdom should be ready to be summoned for military service in the event of a war with Russia.

On Wednesday, General Patrick Sanders urged British authorities to “mobilize the nation” as a proactive measure for potential conflict with Russia. He delivered this message during a speech at the International Armoured Vehicles exhibition in London.

“As the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee warned just last week, and as the Swedish government has done, preparing Sweden for entry to NATO, taking preparatory steps to enable placing our societies on a war footing when needed are now not merely desirable, but essential,” he said.

Although he does not support conscription, Sanders stressed the need for a “shift” in the minds of the British public to be mentally ready for a military conflict with Russia.

His warning comes nearly two years after he said that Britain was facing its '1937 moment', a reference to the two years leading up to the Second World War.

Sanders' address echoed the sentiments of other Western military leaders and senior defense officials who have consistently cautioned about the potential for a significant conflict between Moscow and NATO.

In the aftermath of its complete invasion of Ukraine, the government led by Russian President Vladimir Putin has intensified its warmongering rhetoric against neighbouring nations, including the Baltic countries, which are members of the NATO military alliance, and Moldova.

Last week, Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said a Russian attack on the NATO military alliance was “possible” in “five to eight years.”

Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, a top NATO official, had earlier said the military bloc faced “the most dangerous world in decades” and called for a “warfighting transformation of NATO.”

The increasingly menacing posture of the Kremlin has led European countries to increase their defense expenditures. Poland, for instance, is allocating over 4 percent of its GDP to defense this year. In the case of Germany, the country revamped its military and strategic doctrine last year for the first time since 2011, with the objective of transforming the Bundeswehr into a militarily capable army.

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