Countdown to Disaster? Ex-NATO Official Warns Russia, Iran and China Could Wage WWIII in Just Years

A former army chief from the United Kingdom recently drew a stark comparison between the geopolitical landscape of today and the alliances of World War II.

General Sir Patrick Sanders, who stepped down as Chief of the General Staff in June 2024, suggested that Russia, Iran and China are the 21st-century equivalent of the anti-Allied forces of 1939.

According to Knewz.com, Sanders remarked that these three Eastern Hemisphere nations are more "interdependent and aligned" than the pro-Nazi alliance of the past, potentially paving the way for a significant global conflict.

Sanders warned that with the current international dynamics, World War III could be as close as five years away.

"Most estimates will tell you that we've got somewhere between five and ten years before Russia recapitalizes and is able to pose the sort of threat that it did before the Ukraine war," he stated.

Amid these dire predictions, Sanders also highlighted the UK's alleged unpreparedness for war, stressing the necessity for rearmament as the best deterrent against the looming conflict.

"If we take the right steps now, if we address the threats and gaps we have in our capability, if we modernize our armed forces, if we make society and the UK more resilient, that’s how we prevent it," he asserted. "If we do that, it’s a low likelihood [of war]. If we don’t, it increases the probability and it encourages Russia, China and Iran."

Comparing the UK's current military capabilities to those during World War II, the Falklands War in 1982 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Sanders argued that the nation's forces could not match the logistical prowess of the past. He noted that the current army stocks would "put the hairs up on the back of your neck."

He questioned whether the UK could replicate the mobilization of forces seen during the Falklands conflict, emphasizing that while they could assemble two brigades, sustaining them and deploying a task force would be impossible.

This is not the first time General Sanders has voiced his concerns. In January 2024, Knewz.com reported Sanders calling for a shift in public opinion and suggesting conscription, citing the UK's struggle to commit the required 5,000 soldiers during its most recent turn at the head of NATO’s quick reaction force. This difficulty led some European military members to suggest the UK skip its rotation.

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Sanders’ prognosis of an impending global conflict echoes the sentiments of Germany's defense leader, Boris Pistorius. On June 5, Der Spiegel quoted Pistorius stating, "We must be ready for war by 2029." He elaborated that "we must not believe that Putin will stop at Ukraine’s borders," addressing Germany’s parliament.

Should these predictions come to pass, it would not be the first time Germany and Russia face off in conflict. The last major confrontation between the two was during World War II, when Hitler’s Nazi regime severely underestimated Russia’s resolve. Vladimir Putin continues to reference this historical conflict and the notion of Nazism to justify his ongoing attempts to annex Ukraine.