UK troops face 'choices' and co-operation
Updated on 03 February 2010
Launching the government's defence green paper, Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth warns of "tough choices" ahead for the armed forces - and says they will have to work more closely with France and other international allies.
The government will press ahead with a replacement for Trident, and the Royal Navy will probably get its two new aircraft carriers, the Defence Secretary said today.
But Bob Ainsworth warned of "tough choices" ahead for the forces as he published a Government green paper to prepare for a strategic defence review after the election.
He said that Britain's armed forces would have to co-operate more closely in future with allies such as France "to make the best of our combined resources".
There has been speculation that "big-ticket" items would have to be sacrificed in the review to bring the spiralling defence budget under control.
But today's paper did not refer to specific programmes, apart from confirming the £20 billion update of the Trident submarine-launched nuclear weapons system.
Mr Ainsworth also said the "likelihood" was that the Royal Navy would still get its two planned new aircraft carriers: "While the whole of defence is in the review, we understand the commitments that we have already made and the likelihood that this will continue to be required in the future," he said.
But pressed on the American-built Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) intended to fly from them, he declined to be specific, speaking only of the need for "enhanced" air support.
"We have seen in Afghanistan the need for adaptable capability in the Army but also the aviation and air support that is necessary to conduct this kind of operation," he said.
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The Defence Secretary said the campaign in Afghanistan was the immediate priority for the forces, with funding from the Treasury reserve set to increase from £3.5 billion this year to £5 billion next year.
Writing for Channel 4 News Colonel Richard Kemp, the former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, said that leaders must accept that war in Afghanistan is priority number one.
"The government has wilfully and consistently refused to accept that we are actually at war in Afghanistan," he says.
"This failure has led to the lack of focus, drive and single-minded effort so necessary in the successful prosecution of any war.
"If we do not demonstrate that we have the capability and will to prevail against the forces of extremism in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the consequences for our long term security in the global war on terror will be profound." Read his article in full here.
While the green paper emphasised that the United States remained Britain's most important ally, it said that the UK would in future have to look to co-operate more widely with other countries.
At a news conference earlier, Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Jock Stirrup said: "Britain's armed forces have done more with less for the last 50 years, and done it very successfully.
"The issue is not as much about quantity as it is about capability.
"Of course one soldier can't be in two places at once, one ship can't be in two places at once.
"So numbers do matter, but capability of course matters to a very large extent as well. And we have increased capability dramatically."
"In Europe, the return of France to Nato's integrated military structures offers an opportunity for even greater co-operation with a key partner across a range of defence activity."
The shadow defence secretary Liam Fox welcomed much of the green paper, which he said "indicates that the MoD (Ministry of Defence) is coming out of denial."
But he added: "After 12 years of indecision, we finally get a green paper weeks before an election.
"And despite all the good words in this green paper today, the future defence budget will have to be conducted against the backdrop of government debt of £799bn.
"That is the equivalent of borrowing £1.1m every day since the birth of Christ."
