The head of the British Army has said the UK must be prepared to fight a major war in three years and hyped up the threat of a global conflict against Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, The Times reported on Tuesday.

Gen. Roly Walker described the four nations as an “axis of upheaval” and warned they have been working closer together, which is a reaction to US and other Western sanctions.

Walker said no matter how the war in Ukraine ended, Russia would still be “very very dangerous” and “wanting some form of retribution” for the West’s support of the proxy war.

“When you think they are down they [Russia] will come roaring back to get their vengeance,” Walker said.

The Times report said that Walker believes he has until 2027 or 2028 to significantly bolster the UK’s fighting power. He wants to double the British military’s ability to “fight and kill” within three years and triple it by the end of the decade.

“We have just enough time … to prepare, act, and assure the re-establishment of credible land forces to support a strategy of deterrence,” Walker said.

The British Army currently has 72,500 troops in its ranks, which, according to the Times, is the smallest it has been since the Napoleonic era. The UK has also significantly depleted its weapons stockpiles by arming Ukraine.

Earlier this year, a British general acknowledged that the UK wouldn’t last more than two months in a direct war with Russia. Other British officials downplayed Russia’s military superiority over the UK, saying if there was a direct war with Russia, NATO would be involved as well.

Walker’s comments reflect a growing view among military leaders in NATO member states that a direct war with Russia will happen in the future despite the risk of nuclear escalation. US military officials have also been openly preparing for a war with China, another nuclear-armed power.

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Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.

Featured image: British Army Lt. Gen. Sir Charles Roland Vincent Walker, KCB, DSO (U.S. Army photo by Leroy Council / Public Domain)