The Chief of the British Army Staff, General Raleigh Walker, issued a statement that Western countries must be prepared for war within the next three years due to rising international tensions. In an interview with Sky News, Walker stressed the need to prepare to "contain or fight a war" due to threats from China and Iran. He also expressed concern about a possible conflict with Russia, which could lead to significant consequences in other theaters of war.

General Walker noted that Britain and its allies must pay special attention to increasing their combat power.

"We plan to double our combat power within three years and triple by the end of the decade," Walker said, emphasizing the importance of using lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine and experience with unmanned systems.

In 2023, CIA chief William Burns announced that China was preparing for an operation to take control of Taiwan by 2027. This causes serious concern among Western countries, as the situation could escalate into a full-scale conflict. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in turn, noted that the United States is using the myth of the Chinese threat to maintain its military hegemony.