Today BAE Systems’ announced that it is to cut 200 UK jobs in its land systems business.

The MoD’s staggering incompetence over its armoured vehicle procurement programme now seems to be taking its toll on British jobs.

It is hard to believe that while our troops in Afghanistan are facing a crippling shortage of suitable vehicles, the jobs to make those vehicles are still being cut in the UK.

It is little wonder that the FRES vehicle programme was recently described as ‘the worst procurement programme ever’. Read more »

A top judge has condemned the involvement in Iraq by the US and UK as a serious violation of international law.

We have long said that the intervention in 2003 was illegal and have called for an investigation into the run-up to the invasion and the aftermath. The war has been prolonged and complicated, despite initial thoughts that it would be an easy victory for the allied forces. What is more, our focus on Iraq has meant the mission in Afghanistan has suffered from a diversion of funds and attention.

 If you are interested in reading more about this please follow this link http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/18/iraq-us-foreign-policy

General Sir Richard Dannatt has again commented that ministers must not take ‘cheap options’ when equipping the Armed Forces, and that the Army is under pressure due to fighting two wars at once, and he is absolutely right to do so.

 Our troops are still having to make do with tired old vehicles and a crippling shortage of helicopters.

He rightly identifies the problems of fighting two wars at once and it is clear that the continuing deployment of British troops in Iraq is massively exacerbating the problems of overstretch faced by our military. Read more »

Commenting on an ICM/BBC poll which finds that two thirds of the UK public want troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan in the next year, Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary, Edward Davey said:

“This shows a worrying lack of public support for the mission in Afghanistan.

“The survey not only reflects public concern over a lack of progress in Afghanistan, but also the Government’s total failure to make the case for this vital NATO mission. Too many still see Iraq and Afghanistan as two sides of the same coin.

“Distracted by Iraq, ministers neither recognised nor planned for the long-term threat posed by the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Read more »

Commenting on reports that the UN Security Council is set to approve plans to send 3000 more peacekeepers to eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary, Edward Davey has said that while more UN troops are welcome, there is the risk they will not be deployed quickly enough and may lack the capacity to address the situation effectively. Read more »

There have been reports that the Government is to close two rehabilitation centres for injured military personnel.

It seems unacceptable and inappropriate that the Government is cutting back on facilities to help support the troops who have made such massive sacrifices on our behalf. Our service men and women deserve top quality rehab centres as near to their homes and families as possible. These cutbacks will inevitably see some of them having to travel further to receive the treatment they need.

It is bad enough that the MoD is failing to provide our troops with the equipment they need on the front line. They must not cut back on vital support services when they return home.