Dispatches

Veteran war correspondent Sam Kiley turns his sights on the critical issue of whether the British tax payer, and British soldier, are getting value for money from the Ministry of Defence.

As the MoD puts the finishing touches to the first Strategic Defence and Security Review in 12 years, Kiley uncovers a ministry barely fit for purpose while men and women are fighting and dying in Afghanistan.

Britain's £42 billion defence budget puts it in the top four in the world so why do we appear to be struggling to support just 10,000 frontline troops?

The answers lie in the squandering of billions designed to prop up the British defence industry, resulting in the MoD going an estimated £36 billion over its equipment budget over the next ten years.

Kiley argues that poor decisions to buy the Eurofighter, a new Nimrod spy plane, and the Lynx Wildcat helicopter have cost billions and have left our troops dangerously exposed on the ground.