LONDON

The British Army is "no longer regarded" as a leading global fighting force and is "unable to protect the UK and our allies," a US general reportedly said.

Citing defense sources, Sky News reported on Monday that Defense Secretary Ben Wallace was told by the US general that the country's war-fighting capability has been weakened by a decade of cuts and that it needs to be strengthened amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

"Bottom line ... it's an entire service unable to protect the UK and our allies for a decade," one defense source told Sky News.

The source also said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also risked failing in his role as "wartime prime minister" unless he reverses the situation.

It has been reported that the defense budget should be increased by at least £3 billion ($3.8 billion) a year, as well as canceling a plan to cut the size of the army.

"We have a wartime prime minister and a wartime chancellor," one source said. "History will look back at the choices they make in the coming weeks as fundamental to whether this government genuinely believes that its primary duty is the defense of the realm or whether that is just a slogan to be given lip service."

Premier reaffirms British Army is ‘top-level fighting force'

Downing Street quickly rebuffed the characterization from an unnamed US general. Asked if the prime minister believes "the British Army is a top-level fighting force," the prime minister's official spokesman answered that he did.

But pressed on the issue in the House of Commons, British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said: “The secretary of state has said many times, as have I and other ministerial colleagues, that serial under-investments in the army over decades has led to the point where the army is in urgent need of recapitalization.”

He added that Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt and the prime minister "get that," adding that there is a budget coming.