31 October 2008 : World Politics Review
By Douglas Davis
LONDON -- The business of war-fighting just got more difficult. These days, British troops -- over-stretched, under-funded and ill-equipped -- must contend not only with implacable enemies abroad, but also with a seemingly disinterested Defense Ministry and a sometimes hostile public at home. No surprise, then, that morale has plummeted.
The low level of morale was highlighted in a survey -- the first ever -- that was conducted among more than 24,000 service personnel across the armed forces. It revealed that almost half are ready to quit. The reasons are not hard to find. During October alone, the British government was castigated by two separate inquests into the deaths of British troops on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.
In Oxford, Deputy Coroner Andrew Walker said British officials should "hang their heads in shame" over the death of Cpl. Mark Wright in September 2006. He was killed while trying to rescue six colleagues who had strayed into an unmarked minefield in the murderous Helmand province of Afghanistan.
The helicopter that had been sent to rescue the men was not fitted with winches to lift them to safety, and Wright was killed when the "downwash" from the helicopter detonated one of the mines. According to the coroner, the lack of resources was "simply about money."
The second inquest, in Wiltshire, found that the 10 servicemen who were killed when their Hercules transport plane was hit by groundfire in Iraq in 2005 were victims of "serious systemic failures" by the Defense Ministry. Two expert reports, written in 2002 and 2003, had warned the ministry that fuel tanks on the wings of Hercules aircraft were vulnerable to enemy fire and recommended that they be fitted with explosion-suppressant foam. No action was taken -- again, apparently, for budgetary reasons. "The 10 who died," noted Coroner David Masters, "had just lost their opportunity for survival."
Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth says officials at the Defense Ministry are "determined to learn all the lessons that we can." But there is concern that lives have been -- and are being -- lost while politicians and bureaucrats dither about money as they receive on-the-job training.
Tragically, these were not isolated incidents. Servicemen have been killed and injured because they lacked such basic equipment as weapons and ammunition, body armour and helmets. Some have resorted to borrowing from their better-equipped U.S. colleagues. Others have written home to ask family and friends to send them missing equipment. Still others have gone without.
In one case, soldiers manning observation posts found they did not have sufficient batteries for their field radios and had to fire into the air to attract the attention of their colleagues.
But it is not only the defense establishment that appears to undervalue the soldier's efforts. Sections of the British public regard the troops with contempt, sometimes hostility. Troops on leave have been subjected to verbal abuse in the streets of British towns, denied entry to major stores and, in one case, turned away from a hotel. Some troops are now ordered to change into civilian clothes before their planes touch down at civilian airports in Britain.
The head of the Army, Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt, noted that soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have been dismayed at the "indifferent" attitude toward them by the public. "We are in danger of sapping our volunteer army's willingness to serve in such an atmosphere again," he told the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. "When young soldiers have been fighting in Basra or Helmand, they want to know that people in their local pub understand what they have been doing and why," Dannatt said. "Soldiers are genuinely concerned to hear the population that sent them being dismissive or indifferent about their achievements."
Meanwhile, the chief of the Defense Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, has joined the growing chorus protesting the lack of support for servicemen and women. The covenant between the Armed Forces and the British people, he warned, is "under stress."
Too late, perhaps, the government is now urging local councils to give troops an official welcome home. And from next year, the government will earmark a special day to honor servicemen and women and veterans.
It is ironic that Britain, which displayed enthusiastic support for war in both Afghanistan and Iraq, failed to make the connection between political resolve, military engagement and financial commitment. Or perhaps the dissonance reflects the gap that existed -- and continues to exist -- between the political classes and their public.
Douglas Davis is a writer and journalist currently based in London. His work appears in the Spectator (London) and the National Post (Toronto). Previously he was a senior editor and European correspondent for the Jerusalem Post. His most recent book is "Israel in the World: Changing Lives through Innovation."
