Interview: General Sir Richard Dannatt
Updated on 17 August 2009
As the British army's death toll in Afghanistan reaches 204, General Sir Richard Dannatt talks to Krishnan Guru-Murthy about operations in the country.
When asked whether the growing casualty numbers have damaged support for the war among the armed forces and their familes, the the chief of the general staff told Channel 4 News: "The fact of the matter is that when you are conducting important, albeit difficult, operations, part of the risk that we accept as professional soldiers is that the price of success does come in loss of life and loss of limb on occasions.
"I am afraid we accept this as a fact of life, we regret each and every one, and it is a personal tragedy as I said, But the 200th is no more sad than the first, or indeed we have reached 204 today. Each and every one is a tragedy."
On servicemen taking out private insurance against injury or death, General Dannatt said: "The state does make proper provision, and that is of course just what the Ministry of Defence does. The wider welfare care of the nation also is there for our wounded serviceman as well.
"Over and above that we encourage servicemen to take out private insurance which is additional cash that they will have.
"Money can't put back a leg or an arm, or restore a life that is lost, but it certainly can help. The combination of public and private money I think is a perfectly acceptable way to do it provided the public figure is big enough. I think that for the most seriously injured now that it is.
"There is a review going on to see whether it is large enough for those who are injured in a lesser fashion, and I welcome that review and look forward to seeing over time what it come up with."
General Dannatt also voiced his support for the extra troops sent for the Afghanistan elections to remain in the country.
"Government policy, which I completely agree with, is that the increased soldiers that we are sending, up to the figure of 9,000, are staying," he said. "That has now become the new base line for our force level. That is right and that is proper.
"We are having to quickly roll out additional equipment to make sure that they have all got the equipment that they need to be able to conduct their operations."
On suggestions that his media appearances were part of a personal campaign, General Dannatt replied: "To right I am waging some kind of campaign.
"I am waging some kind of a campaign within the Ministry of Defence and within government to make sure that our people on the front line carrying out difficult and dangerous operations on behalf of the nation - that they have got the right level of manpower and the right amount of equipment.
"Much of our equipment is good. We have got to make sure that we have enough of it out there. The new major issue of winning the offensive counter-improvised explosive device campaign - that will require energy and equipment to be able to do that.
"I'm not running any kind of political campaign; I am running a military campaign to make sure that our men and women on the front line have got what they need to do what the government and ourselves are asking them to do in the interests of the nation in Afghanistan today.
"The rest of it is just irrelevant as far as I'm concerned - that is the issue. If we don't succeed today, tomorrow will be a very uncertain place in my view."
