The Army is looking at halting its withdrawal from Germany and instead leaving a forward mounting base to allow troops to head quickly to Eastern Europe in the event of hostilities with Russia, the head of the Army has said.

Gen Sir Nick Carter, Chief of the General Staff, said the threat from Russia meant commanders were now “actively considering” retaining bases that troops are due to leave by the end of this decade.

The disclosure came as he delivered a speech at the Royal United Services Institute on the threats posed by Russia’s increasingly aggressive posture.

Showing a Russian military propaganda video, he said Russia was developing an “eye-watering quantity of capability” as part of its defence modernisation.

He also warned that Russia could initiate hostilities “sooner than we expect”, but they would be deliberately difficult to spot.