Are we ready for war? Welcome to The i Paper’s opinion series in which our writers tackle a grim question that, until recently, few had thought to consider. • Ray Mears: This is the golden rule of preparing for war• Britain is closer to nuclear war than you think. This is how it will unfold• This generation of Britons couldn’t handle the death toll of a modern war• Russia is aiming to control the UK. It would tear society apart• Britain’s tanks would be eviscerated in a war with Russia. Here’s how to fix them• Three ways the UK could finance a war

Are we ready for war? Welcome to The i Paper’s opinion series in which our writers tackle a grim question that, until recently, few had thought to consider.

• Ray Mears: This is the golden rule of preparing for war• Britain is closer to nuclear war than you think. This is how it will unfold• This generation of Britons couldn’t handle the death toll of a modern war• Russia is aiming to control the UK. It would tear society apart• Britain’s tanks would be eviscerated in a war with Russia. Here’s how to fix them• Three ways the UK could finance a war

“It takes three years to build a warship. It takes three centuries to build a tradition,” according to Admiral Andrew Cunningham, who commanded the Royal Navy to the end of the Second World War. He was reflecting on the desperate evacuation of Commonwealth forces from Crete in 1941.

He later added that he feared the Navy was about to lose its name in an afternoon.

The same fears for the reputation of the service are here now – as its fighting strength is at the lowest for centuries. The Royal Navy’s major Nato command of the Maritime Force, based at Northwood on the outskirts of London, has just been taken away and given to an American admiral.

Since last June there has been little in the way of new funding for the Navy. Ships have been retired from service and roles cut. Britain no longer commits a frigate or destroyer to the international patrolling of the Red Sea against the Houthis. The Navy’s base in Bahrain has been reduced to skeleton manning – the last frigate........

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