Lieutenant General Rob Magowan said, ‘If the British Army was asked to fight tonight, it would fight tonight.’
The Royal Marines general was speaking in a parliamentary select committee hearing on Thursday, 21 November.
He went on to say that nobody in the room should be under any illusions. ‘If the Russians invaded Eastern Europe tonight then we would meet them in that fight,’ Magowan said.
Magowan was sitting alongside defence secretary John Healey who was also facing MPs in light of claims that Ukraine fired British missiles at Russia for the first time.
Moscow claims Russian air defences shot down two British Storm Shadow cruise missiles.