JOHN HUTTON, the former defence secretary, stepped into the political row over Afghanistan last night, urging government ministers not to “second guess” the military or behave like “armchair generals”.
In his first public statement on the war since he quit the cabinet last month, Hutton said the army should be given the extra troops and equipment it needed to beat the Taliban.
The remarks place him squarely on the side of the military chiefs who last week provoked fury among Labour ministers by publicly calling on Gordon Brown to spend more money on the Afghan conflict.
Hutton, who writes books on military history, said in an interview with The Sunday Times: “We have got to commit the right resources to ensure we can win this conflict.
“When it comes to the numbers and the equipment it is absolutely essential politicians listen to advice from the military. Politicians must not become armchair generals. They must make decisions based on clear military advice.” As the latest offensive against the Taliban, code-named Operation Panther’s Claw, intensifies, public concern over the government’s reluctance to fund the war is undermining support for the prime minister in the polls.
A YouGov poll for The Sunday Times today reveals that 60% of voters believe Brown is trying to fight the war “on the cheap” and only 20% believe he is doing his best to provide the necessary equipment.
The Tory lead over Labour has widened to 17 points, its highest since last September, up from 16 last month. The Conservatives are on 42%, up two, Labour on 25%, up one, and the Liberal Democrats unchanged on 18%.
The death on Thursday of Rifleman Aminiasi Toge from 2nd Battalion The Rifles takes the total UK death toll in the conflict to 185.
Last week the military stepped up the pressure on the government to commit more resources to the war with a series of extraordinary public statements General Sir Richard Dannatt, the head of the army, announced that he would hand the prime minister a £500m “shopping list” of extra equipment needed to help soldiers combat the Taliban’s roadside bombs.
Brown has said he will consider the military’s requests, but officials have warned that the war budget might be cut.
The Treasury has told Ministry of Defence officials that the budget for fighting the war could be reduced by as much as 50% next year.
The military are putting forward emergency requests Continued on page 2 Continued from page 1 for aerial surveillance drones, more helicopters and new armoured land vehicles. However, it is understood that the funds available for “urgent operational requirement” will not rise above this year’s £736m.
“We do have a problem with spending on equipment – the Treasury appetite is not as great to support us as in the past,” said a senior officer involved in defence procurement.
The government has also been hit by claims that three years ago it was urged by the Prince of Wales to send more helicopters to Afghanistan.
Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Tootal, the former commanding officer of 3 Para, reveals how he expressed concern about the issue to Prince Charles shortly before his unit was sent to Afghanistan in March 2006. The prince passed on the concerns in a telephone conversation with John Reid, then defence secretary.
According to Tootal the request fell on deaf ears. “The line was ‘You’ve got what you have got’,” the former officer told The Sunday Times.
The surprise resignation of Hutton as defence secretary came amid rumours that he had become fed up fighting the Treasury and No 10 for more resources. Yesterday he refused to discuss his reasons.
He insisted that his latest comments were not meant as a personal criticism of the prime minister, who had “always paid careful attention to what the military had been saying”.
Clarence House confirmed that Charles had visited 3 Para before their deployment but would not comment on private conversations “that may or may not have occurred”. Underfunding costs lives, Letters, p20 Afghan president tells Brown: let’s bring Taliban to the table, pp 22-23
Source:The times
search the web
Custom Search
