Passing out of Sir Jock

The end of Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup's tenure as chief of the defence staff, brought forward to the autumn, seemed inevitable once Labour had been voted out of office. The former pilot was seen as too close to the previous Government and the coalition, which has a Conservative Defence Secretary, was always going to want a fresh start.

Given the controversies over the provision of equipment and the shifting aims of the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, this is, perhaps, necessary.

British soldiers have clearly lacked the right tools for their job and the previous Government faced repeated accusations of under-funding two gruelling counter-insurgency campaigns. Sadly, critics have much evidence on which to draw. Tank commander Sgt Steven Roberts, from Shipley, was killed in Iraq in 2003 after he had been forced to give up his body armour and an official report confirmed he would have been saved if he had been wearing enhanced combat body armour, which was then in short supply. Sir Jock, who was deputy chief of defence staff (equipment) at the start of the Iraq war, has, however, spoken out despite claims he was reluctant to criticise the old government. He told the Chilcott Inquiry of problems supplying enough combat body armour for frontline troops, which would suggest he had made similar comments to his political masters previously.

It seems that Labour's failure to forsee the length and complexity of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq left Sir Jock in an impossible position. To speak out in the manner favoured by General Sir Richard Dannatt, when he was Chief of the General Staff, would have attracted controversy and risked accusations of political interference but the alternative, staying silent, would have meant failing to stand up for servicemen and women. This situation cannot continue. The coalition Government must ensure the Armed Forces have the funds to fight Britain's overseas battles and the freedom to speak out when problems arise. Ministers must show a willingness to listen, because any suggestion of a war in Whitehall is a distraction from the real conflicts in which our men and women are fighting and dying every week.