NAO concerned about armed forces resources: minister isnt.

This story in the BBC is all about how even the National Audit Office is concerned about the lack of resources going into the armed services versus the operational demand curve.

Gotta love the MOD, who said:

Or Mr. Ingram, the armed forces minister, who said from the perilous locale of an armour-plated office surrounded by armed guards deep in the bowels of Whitehall:

Interestingly, that quote is very similar to the one Don Rumsfeld came out with when he got hosed down by soldiers in Iraq about the lack of armour on military vehicles.

V!

 

I have given up reading what politicians say about defence it just gives me too much rage. When the Labour candidate came canvassing during the election campaign I asked her about Labour's policy on defence and the, fat, middle aged, condescending bint didn't have a clue. The best she could do was to "send me a leaflet". Is it just me or as defence is such a major part of the budget (comes about third) shouldn't all MPs/prospective MPs know what the party policy is. Unfortunately she won; the conservative candidate didn't even come around though.

 

Shouldn't this thread read: 'Army In Overstretch Shock'

The relevance of a report by the NAO is nearly next to none. They have limited powers to force changes, they cannot sanction their employers (the government) and base most of their findings on what the MOD already knows - i.e., the MOD shows the NAO its own documents and details.

I look forward to reading the NAO document in full to find out their full list of recommendations, I am confident that the earth will not be shattered by them!

 

I take the point about the NAO being a Govt. Dept, but to be fair they aren't afraid of putting the boot in and enjoy a level of independence that probably puts Neu Arbeit's departmental special advisors teeth on edge.

Eventually something will go very, very wrong on operations due to government parsimony (even more so than usual) and there will be a large class action by army families against the MOD. Reports like this will be just a little more grist to that mill.

V!

 

The army's been overstretched for years, but it's not a government priority,

The expect the army to do a good job on a shoestring, and they usually have . As a result the powers that be then reduce the budget and channel the money into benefit scrounging scum and completely useless City academies etc

Taken to the extreme, this situation could result in the Armed forces being unable to defend the land, and the French could invade!

 

Threat Assessment ahoy! Well spotted, Hogspawn.The Frogs could, indeed try it on.

However, if they dare then the DLRRR (scroll down a bit) will be waiting for them at Calais, pub ashtrays at the ready!

V!

 

'Kin awesome

They could amalgamate with my home regt - The Rotherhite Volunteer Cavalry!

Hurrah!

 

This is the Daily Express' view of the same story:

Well said that man.

 

At the risk of being labelled a pedant; the NAO is not a Govt dept, its an independent parliamentary body created by statute. Also, remember the uproar generated by kit shortages after TELIC despite Hoon's initial assurances (think body armour etc) - that was generated on the back of an NAO report on TELIC - they may base a lot of their findings on MOD documents/internal knowledge, but without reports like these very little of that knowledge/data would make it into the public domain (and various ministers and press officers would be much happier with that).

 

The difference between army and civvy is that a civvy will refuse point blank to do something unless all the equipment is provided and they have a legal system to back them up. In the army you end up forking out quite a bit of money to have the kit to do the job which should have been available to begin with. You do not have the luxury of the legal system to back you up.

 

Maybe the civvy is right and we are wrong?

 

Heretic.



Interesting to hear the MinAF on The Today Programme this morning say, '...we will not put our people in harm's way if they are not adequately trained or equipped...' (I was driving, so there may well be a certain 'senior-moment memory-lapse' style quality to my quoting, but that was the gist)

He did go on to say that there are more service personnel in NI than in Iraq and Afghanistan combined, and that with peace breaking out all over the place in the Province there will be lots of troops to reallocate to alleviating the;

Was the thrust of FAS not that the 'peace dividend' was going towards reduction of the budgetary overstretch via the expedient of removing infantry units from the ORBAT? In which case are these units now reprieved? You heard it here first.

 

Just another report on the same bumf.

http://www.deepikaglobal.com/latestnews.asp?ncode=28776

Cheers for that NAO, everyone majored in Stating the Bloody Obvious then ?

 

This "green/amber/red" stuff is abject nonsense and is part of a defence-wide management system (supposed to be computerised) that is eating up dosh that could be spent on filling pairs of boots. I narrowly avoided being roped into it at my unit before handing my kit in!

Well fone to the NAO. Ingram is a lying buffoon and a walking embarrassment to the Armed Forces. The oxygen thief should be hung from a lamp post!