|
|
|||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
News Search
|
|
July 2, 2004, Scotsman MPS FEAR CUTTING TROOPS WILL ENDANGER UK Gethin Chamberlain, Defence Correspondent MOVES to cut the size of Britain's armed forces were yesterday condemned by a committee of MPs as "potentially dangerous". A critical report by the cross-party Commons defence committee said the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was in danger of over-emphasising the gains of technology and stressed that in many situations there was "no substitute" for troops on the ground. The MPs warned that MoD plans to cut the numbers of tanks, warships and aircraft could leave Britain vulnerable to terrorist attack. A government white paper last year spelled out the intention to move from heavy forces to a lighter, more mobile military, although much of the new equipment is still only in the planning stages. The white paper also made clear that the government favoured far greater emphasis in future on hi-tech weaponry. There have been repeated warnings that the changes could involve cuts in the number of troops, planes and ships, although MoD chiefs were today meeting to discuss which regiments face the axe. But the committee warned that despite the winding down of operations in Northern Ireland, the experience of Iraq had shown that there was still a need for troops on the ground. "As the post-conflict stage in Iraq has shown, a great deal more is required to achieve the objectives of an effects-based operation, than advanced military technologies in the hands of numerically small forces," it said. "A policy of reducing or restructuring existing forces in advance of acquiring new capabilities is potentially dangerous." And there was explicit criticism of the MoD's readiness to deal with a threat to the UK. "Despite the events of 11 September, 2001, the MoD and Home Office have been reluctant to consider novel ways in which the armed forces can support homeland security," it said. "We are not convinced that an essentially reactive approach to defence of the UK homeland is satisfactory given the nature of the threat to the UK today." The committee said the MoD appeared to have based its thinking on the post-11 September assumption that terrorists would agree to fight on Britain's terms and in places of its choosing. "As UK ministers and officials regularly warn, they may choose to bring the campaign closer to our region, or indeed to the UK itself. In the context of repeated attacks on the UK, we do not think that MoD's assumption would be sustainable," it went on. The committee chairman, Labour MP Bruce George, said that with the armed forces already overstretched by overseas commitments, they would struggle to deal with a major terror campaign in the UK. "If terrorists decide not to play by our rules, then we will need forces that can react quickly to threats abroad and at home," he said. "This will only be possible if troops are properly trained to deal with new demands that are placed on them. We are not convinced that the MoD is on top of this problem. "Troops, both regulars and reserves, are already over-stretched. Cutting the number of boots on the ground, ships or aircraft are not sensible options, particularly when we have no guarantee that the new equipment which is meant to replace them will arrive on time or perform as planned." He said that plans for defending the UK homeland were being hampered by inter -departmental wrangling. "The Home Office, the MoD and other government departments need to work more closely together on this issue. Their discussions need to be about defending the homeland, not defending their departmental turf, as appears to have been the case in the past," he said. The committee's report was drawn up in response to the defence white paper last December which heralded a move to so-called "effects-based warfare", using technology to maximise the forces' accuracy and firepower. The white paper argued the development of a new generation of hi-tech "sensors" - such as unmanned aerial drones - would mean that the forces would in future need fewer weapons "platforms", such as tanks, warships and aircraft. But the committee issued a warning against over-reliance on as yet unproven technology and said any attempt to cut back the size of the forces would place "unsustainable demands" on service personnel. It effectively accused the MoD of committing the cardinal military sin of planning for the last war, warning that it was "rash" to assume that the present pattern of operations would continue into the future.
|
|
||||
|
................................................................................................................. Copyright ©2004 Gethin Chamberlain. All rights reserved. |
|||||||
