BBC News said:
More than 12,700 new recruits joined during 2005/6 - but almost 14,500 personnel left the service...
The BBC implies that this is just for the army, but I wouldn't be surprised if this was the story for all three services. All the mealy-mouthed MoD can say is that the recruitment market is 'challenging'.
This government has completely undermined the Armed Forces, once the bedrock of this country's success. Over the course of history the British public has felt pity, sympathy, pride, honour, grief and respect for our Armed Forces. Is this the first period in history when they have been ashamed of them?
BBC News said:
Colonel Bob Stewart, a former commander of UK forces in Bosnia, believes the families of young people, who, he says, play a crucial part in encouraging their sons and daughters to join up, have been put off by recent claims of neglect towards British troops wounded in conflict.
Col Stewart said:
[Servicemen and women] are not only putting themselves at risk for their country, but when they are actually hurt, they are not supported.
I can understand people not joining up because of fear of entering combat, but what sort of world do we live in when they fear joining up because of neglect? The armed force's image, carefully constructed over centuries of conflict, empire building and peace-keeping is in danger of collapsing altogether.
I have also noted today this article by Liam Fox:
Linkage
Liam Fox said:
This decision is characteristic of Labour's obsession with spin and headlines. This approach has already done huge damage to Parliament and to the independence of the Civil Service. Now Labour is in danger of damaging the reputation of our Armed Forces.
This whole episode has illustrated Labour's complete ignorance of the ethos of the Armed Forces. But this is only the latest episode in a decade of neglect and a lack of understanding. While Tony Blair has increased our military commitments - sending our forces to Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq - Gordon Brown has refused to provide the resources needed and they have actually cut front-line resources and manpower. Only a Labour Government could think that the Armed Forces can do more with less.
How long have we been saying this for? More importantly how many times has this been said to Politicians by CDSs various?
Liam Fox said:
Britain's Armed Forces have a deserved reputation for being the best in the world. This reputation is earned through their values of dignity and duty, and loyalty to the elected government of the day. Labour doesn't understand this - our country needs a government that does.
Unfortunately the very last statement rather undermines his article by suggesting that it was written solely for the promotion of the Conservatives rather than out of any genuine regard for us.
The Torygraph also features this letter from a retired Lt Cdr:
Linkerella
By and large, service personnel are still the salt of the earth, but many of the younger members no longer have the commitment, pride and belief of their forebears.
A fair statement? Before the Iran debacle I would have suggested that this was unnecessarily scathing of our younger members. Unfortunately the performance of two particular individuals has tainted even my view of our junior chaps and chapesses. I dread to think what it has done to public opinion.
There is the feeling that they, and their profession, are misunderstood by the decision-makers and unappreciated by the public. Sailors, soldiers and airmen on minimum wage are expected to achieve the impossible with shrinking resources, inappropriate tools, inadequate training and grudging political and public support.
Fortunately this paragraph goes some way to clarify his thoughts. How many times do we have to hear these statements and those like them before something is done?
New recruits are imbued with a touchy-feely, health-and-safety fixated, compensation culture that sits uneasily with a selfless sense of duty and the need to sacrifice one's normal freedoms, safety and, when necessary, one's life.
I'm afraid I can only agree with that statement. Hopefully the broadsheets are lining up something big for the sundays. I would particularly like to see some opinion polls on this matter to give an idea of what the public actually think of their Armed Forces.