Deficiencies in equipment put troops at greater risk

That British servicemen's lives are regularly being put at additional risk as a result of defective, inappropriate and obsolete equipment, has become increasing apparent. Over successive years, the UK Government has been reducing the military budget in real terms - from 4.4% of GDP in 1988 to 2.5% today. The UK's spending on defence is now the smallest, as a percentage of GDP, of all the NATO allies fighting in Afghanistan. This attrition on the defence budget, coupled with the unplanned increased expenditure resulting from both the intensity and the duration of the war in Iraq, has meant that our servicemen have been, and continue to be, sent on highly dangerous operations without the appropriate equipment (e.g. Mastiffs, helicopters, body armour etc). If the Labour Government's foreign policy is to play in the big league, engaging in numerous military adventures around the globe, then it must equip its troops accordingly. The safety and effectiveness of our armed forces must not be compromised by a Government more interested in squandering resources on trendy, politically correct but ultimately abortive domestic projects.

visit the links below for some recent articles on the subject.

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• The Telegraph: £1bn defence shortfall 'will cripple MoD'
• Where's Prudence: Brown has British Blood on his hands
• The Times: Our men are dying to save Whitehall’s pennies
• Telegraph: MoD told to pay back Treasury
• The Guardian: Emails 'reveal Nimrod warnings'
• BNP: Running the Army on the cheap causes more deaths
• The Times: MoD fears £1bn shortfall for equipment
• Daily Mail: Half of Britain's Afghan and Iraq helicopters unfit for purpose