- General Sir Richard Barrons, a former top military commander, warned that the British Army is so depleted it could only "seize a small market town on a good day."
- He stated that the UK's Armed Forces cannot make any "substantial" contribution to major operations and lack the equipment and training to meet Nato commitments of 30,000-50,000 troops.
- Jack Watling from RUSI supported this assessment, noting that the losses in Bakhmut would equate to almost the entire British infantry, and the UK is critically short of artillery.
- Concerns have mounted over the UK's preparedness for the Middle East conflict, following Iranian missile warnings and drone attacks on UK bases in Cyprus, with accusations of government "complacency."
- The Prime Minister faced criticism for the lack of Royal Navy ships in the Mediterranean during a critical period, responding that the government aims to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent.
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