The UK’s current #BeKind mindset must change if as a society we are ever to reach the level of military readiness aspired to by our NATO partners.
Amidst all the sound and fury prompted by Trump on both sides of the Atlantic, the highly inconvenient truth is that he is correct. In the defence context, too many European countries have been delinquent for decades.
Sombre warnings from politicians and generals are entirely at odds with decades of what can be fairly described as a deeply unserious approach to defence.
A remarkable amount has been achieved. Often against the odds and in the face of adversity. And certainly in circumstances far less benign than those faced by New Labour.
If we are to keep our nation safe, our adversaries deterred, and our allies reassured, we now urgently require full-scale reform of the way we be buy and support our fighting equipment.
“Every man thinks meanly of himself for not having been a soldier, or not having been at sea.” Dr Johnson’s observation has stood the test of time – but is a poor basis for civilian, parliamentary government.
Forcing the Forces to fall into line with civilian-based dogma concerning gender, race and sexual-orientation quotas, as well as equality of opportunity in combat zones, has been a two-decades’ long waste of time.
This Government is committed to championing the needs of those who have given so much, and will continue to build on the huge strides already taken to genuinely improve veterans’ care across the United Kingdom.
Mounting domestic pressures and tight budgets mean defence is likely doomed to always look like an easy cut when election time draws near.
The Defence Secretary said “the real battle for defence” will come in the Comprehensive Spending Review in 2024-25, and “I’m not sure I’ll be here in two years”.
The APPG’s survey of ex-servicemen and women will reveal where current support systems are falling short of the first-class standards we expect.
We trust those who served in arms, or in uniform, with great authority and significant power. They must be held to the highest standards.
As it never attracted as much ire as Iraq we may never see a proper inquiry into a decades-long, £27.7 billion failure.
Warm words about those serving oversees ring hollow when their families are shivering in sub-standard accommodation.
Training UK citizens in basic military skills would mean that if war came, a larger and more capable military base could be mobilised more quickly, thereby de-risking the prospect of being overwhelmed and defeated in the first stages of a conflict.