Mr Kersh said he told schoolchildren during his talks about how the conflict began, adding: “There’d be no need for a war now, we’ve got the wrong attitude”.
The veteran said he “absolutely” sees comparisons between now and the period just before World War Two, and that Russia was “threatening the west”.
He went on: “The top budget should be defence, there’s nothing there for anything else. That’s all there is.
“Defence must come first, second, third, fourth and fifth, because only if you’re strong, you won’t be attacked.”
Mr Kersh compared today’s Western leaders to Neville Chamberlain, whose 1930s appeasement of Hitler failed, saying: “They think they’ve just got to hope and make speeches.”
He added: “We’ve got to either have another leader who’s more aggressive – I don’t mean start a war, but aggressive – [or] we’ve got to defend. That’s the first concern.”
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) recently announced a “gap year” scheme to give school and college leavers a taste of the Army, Royal Navy or RAF.
This summer, the prime minister said the country was moving to “war-fighting readiness” as the threats the UK faces require a “new era” of defence.
The British Empire Medal is an award within the UK honours system, given for distinguished civil or military service.
