Third World War a 'risk', the head of the military warns, as he calls on Government for long-term funding

There is a “risk” of a Third World War due to growing global uncertainty, the head of the military has warned, as he called on the Government to commit to "long term" funds for the armed forces. General Sir Nick Carter said that the increase in regional conflicts playing out across the world could ramp up into a “full-blown war”. The Chief of the Defence Staff said that the world was a “very uncertain and anxious place” during the coronavirus pandemic and suggested that “you could see escalation lead to miscalculation". "We have to remember that history might not repeat itself but it has a rhythm and if you look back at the last century, before both world wars, I think it was unarguable that there was escalation which led to the miscalculation which ultimately led to war at a scale we would hopefully never see again," Sir Nick said. He told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday that the military also needed long-term investment from the Treasury in order to deliver on “modernisation”. It comes after reports of a clash between the Prime Minister and the Chancellor on the issue of defence spending. Boris Johnson is said to have called for a £15 billion package of funding until 2025 while Rishi Sunak is in favour of a one year settlement worth £1.9 billion as part of the spending review. However, Sir Nick said negotiations with Downing Street and the Treasury were “going in a very constructive way”. Confirming he would be seeking a multi-year package, he said: "Clearly we're going to argue for something like that because we need long-term investment because long-term investment gives us the opportunity to have confidence in modernisation."

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