Theme : national_security
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Building a national security architecture for the 21st century
Sir Richard Mottram GCB will give the 2007 annual security lecture. If you would like to know more please email Charlie Edwards
from : charlieedwards
15th November 2007
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The battle over forces spending
The UKNDA's launch comes after the establishment last year of the British Armed Forces Federation, a staff association set up amid growing discontent among the rank and file.
It also follows a report by the think tank Demos on Monday, which warned that the future for Britain's armed forces looked bleak unless steps were taken to improve pay, housing, training and recruitment.
from : charlieedwards
9th November 2007
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Out of Step
Earlier this week we launched Out of Step: The case for change in the British armed forces. The crux of our argument is that the Government and senior commanders have consistently overlooked the men and women of the armed forces in pursuit of the 'big ticket, hi-tec equipment'.
I have been searching for a pithy one liner since Monday which sums this approach up and found the following quote on the US DoD website regarding their most important resource...
from : charlieedwards
8th November 2007
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Report calls for urgent increase in spending on military
Britain's defence spending has not matched the Labour government's military ambitions, seriously compromising the ability of the armed forces to meet future threats, a left-leaning think-tank argues in a report out today.
The report, from Demos, argues that the armed forces will need up to a decade to recover from the intense operations of the past few years in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Moreover, while defence priorities have changed radically in recent years, national defence and security policies have yet to catch up.
from : charlieedwards
8th November 2007
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We sent them. We must treat them right
Its argument has two parts: one (Demos being a leftish think-tank) argues for restructuring because response to “21st-century challenges” is hampered by “tradition and hierarchy”. Personally, I reckon that if a bit of tradition keeps the poor sods' morale up, bands and badges should stay. The other part argues that recruitment is damaged not only by lack of public understanding but by deficiencies in pay and conditions, like ever shorter breaks between operations. The report's author says that the remoteness of these wars causes civilian opinion “to prioritise other public services such as health and education”. With obvious results.
from : charlieedwards
6th November 2007
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Report slams MoD over troops
Defence spending must be shifted from high-tech military hardware to improving the welfare of personnel, a new report demanded today.
The report is a timely endorsement of the Sun's Help our Heroes campaign.
Think tank Demos said the needs of servicemen and women were too low on the list of priorities and warned their "covenant" with the state had been "damaged almost beyond repair".
from : charlieedwards
5th November 2007
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Money 'needs to be spent on soldiers'
The Armed Forces are wasting money on hi-tech defence projects instead of much-needed accommodation, training and improved salaries for British troops, a report published today warns.
It adds that the military will not be "fit for purpose" in the future if more money is not spent on personnel. Both senior officers and politicians are criticised for spending too much on advanced technology while failing to improve salaries, accommodation and training, in the study produced by the think-tank Demos.
Criticism of the Government's treatment of Armed Forces personnel has escalated in recent months, with compensation payments for the wounded, medical treatment, delays in inquests and the plight of troops suffering mental illness all coming under scrutiny.
from : charlieedwards
5th November 2007
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Troops may soon be 'not fit for purpose'
THE massive expenditure incurred fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan could sound the death knell for the British armed forces leaving troops "not fit for purpose", a report warns today.
Senior armed services commanders "obsessed" with both conflicts stand accused of losing touch with ordinary servicemen and women putting their lives at risk in war zones.
In a hard-hitting report, the UK think-tank Demos says stretched military budgets remain tied up in "big ticket" high-profile hardware, while the "software" - the men and women making up the armed forces - are being overlooked in terms of training, conditions, pay and welfare. The report also claims the Military Covenant - the contract between the nation and service personnel and their families - has been "damaged almost beyond repair".
from : charlieedwards
5th November 2007
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Armed forces 'let down by public'
Britain's armed forces are being let down by a lack of support from the public, a think tank report claims.
Low pay and poor accommodation for service personnel are the result of a breakdown in the "contract" between military and civilians, Demos argues.
from : charlieedwards
5th November 2007
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Soldiers need more support, thinktank warns ministers
Distorted expenditure and failure to adjust to future threats are setting Britain's armed forces on a "dangerously unsustainable course" at a time of growing turbulence and risk, ministers and military chiefs are warned today. "Stretched budgets remain tied up in big-ticket, high-profile, hardware while the 'software', the men and women who make up the armed forces, are overlooked," says a report by the thinktank Demos.
from : charlieedwards
5th November 2007
