On Tuesday 11th November 2008 Rt. Hon John Hutton MP, Secretary of State for Defence, adressed the IISS on 'Afghanistan – worth the Sacrifice'
The Rt Hon John Hutton MP has been Secretary of State for the Ministry of Defence since 4 October. Mr Hutton has been in government since 1999. Prior to heading the Ministry of Defence, he was Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and State Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
Earlier this year, Mr Hutton published "Kitchener's Men," which provides a history of the Service and Territorial battalions of the King's Own Royal Lancasters in France during World War One. The book was inspired by the stories related to Mr. Hutton by his constituents.
Mr Hutton was giving his maiden speech as Secretary of State for Defence and chose to address the issue of Afghanistan. With the election of a new US President and national elections in Afghanistan during 2009, the next 12 months will be a critical time for the mission in Afghanistan. The Secretary of State reaffirmed the UK national security interest for continued engagement in Afghanistan and the basis upon which future progress will be made.
This meeting was chaired by Dr John Chipman, Director General and Chief Executive of the IISS, and took place on the fifth floor at Arundel House, 13-15 Arundel Street, Temple Place, London WC2R 3DX.
The speech is available to watch
