bobdina
10-01-2009, 09:38 PM
Defence secretary says soldiers' kit 'does not come from Marks and Spencer'
British soldiers practise 'actions on contact with the enemy' drill using their Snatch Land Rover vehicles at a base in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province. Photographer: John D McHugh/AFP
Britain will only send more troops to Afghanistan if the government can ensure that they will be properly equipped, the defence secretary said today.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Bob Ainsworth said that the kit that soldiers needed in Afghanistan "does not come from Marks and Spencer" and that it was difficult for the Ministry of Defence to supply it.
Ainsworth said the government had some "difficult decisions" to take in the next few months about whether to increase the size of the Afghanistan deployment, a point he repeated in his speech today to the Labour conference.
The US president, Barack Obama, is currently considering how to respond to a request from General Stanley McChrystal, the senior American commander in Afghanistan, for more manpower. McChrystal reportedly wants up to 40,000 more troops, on top of the Nato deployment of about 100,000 troops in the country already.
Ainsworth said McChrystal was a Nato commander, not just an American one, and that Britain was involved in the discussions about what would happen next.
Britain has not ruled out sending more troops, Ainsworth said.
"I have not said that we do not want to contribute more troops in support of the counterinsurgency," Ainsworth told the Today programme.
But the government had to consider the availability of equipment, as well as troop numbers, he insisted.
"If we are to make a further contribution of troops, we have to make sure that we are absolutely certain it is done in line with our ability to make sure they are properly supplied with the kit and equipment that they need to do the job, and that we want them to have to keep them safe.
"The kit and equipment that they need to do this job does not come from Marks and Spencer. It has to come through a very complex [procurement] procedure."
Ainsworth said the government needed to get equipment in place before soldiers could be sent to Afghanistan.
"We cannot send people out there ahead of vital equipment," he said.
In his conference speech, Ainsworth attacked Liam Fox, the Tory defence spokesman, for complaining about the way Ridgeback armoured vehicles destined for Afghanistan were stranded in Dubai.
"[Fox] accused the government of betraying our troops, without bothering to check his facts first," Ainsworth said.
"In reality, these vehicles were being sent to Afghanistan ahead of schedule.
"Liam, false claims don't just damage the government; they risk damaging the morale of both our troops and the public. They risk damaging the mission."
In a television interview, the prime minister, Gordon Brown, said the case for being in Afghanistan was "as strong as ever"
"This is not a head-on fight with the Taliban," he said. "We've got to get the public in Afghanistan to recognise it's their country and we're helping them take back more control of their own affairs."
Downing Street said the prime minister was open minded about sending more troops to Afghanistan.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/oct/01/afghanistan-troops-equipment
British soldiers practise 'actions on contact with the enemy' drill using their Snatch Land Rover vehicles at a base in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province. Photographer: John D McHugh/AFP
Britain will only send more troops to Afghanistan if the government can ensure that they will be properly equipped, the defence secretary said today.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Bob Ainsworth said that the kit that soldiers needed in Afghanistan "does not come from Marks and Spencer" and that it was difficult for the Ministry of Defence to supply it.
Ainsworth said the government had some "difficult decisions" to take in the next few months about whether to increase the size of the Afghanistan deployment, a point he repeated in his speech today to the Labour conference.
The US president, Barack Obama, is currently considering how to respond to a request from General Stanley McChrystal, the senior American commander in Afghanistan, for more manpower. McChrystal reportedly wants up to 40,000 more troops, on top of the Nato deployment of about 100,000 troops in the country already.
Ainsworth said McChrystal was a Nato commander, not just an American one, and that Britain was involved in the discussions about what would happen next.
Britain has not ruled out sending more troops, Ainsworth said.
"I have not said that we do not want to contribute more troops in support of the counterinsurgency," Ainsworth told the Today programme.
But the government had to consider the availability of equipment, as well as troop numbers, he insisted.
"If we are to make a further contribution of troops, we have to make sure that we are absolutely certain it is done in line with our ability to make sure they are properly supplied with the kit and equipment that they need to do the job, and that we want them to have to keep them safe.
"The kit and equipment that they need to do this job does not come from Marks and Spencer. It has to come through a very complex [procurement] procedure."
Ainsworth said the government needed to get equipment in place before soldiers could be sent to Afghanistan.
"We cannot send people out there ahead of vital equipment," he said.
In his conference speech, Ainsworth attacked Liam Fox, the Tory defence spokesman, for complaining about the way Ridgeback armoured vehicles destined for Afghanistan were stranded in Dubai.
"[Fox] accused the government of betraying our troops, without bothering to check his facts first," Ainsworth said.
"In reality, these vehicles were being sent to Afghanistan ahead of schedule.
"Liam, false claims don't just damage the government; they risk damaging the morale of both our troops and the public. They risk damaging the mission."
In a television interview, the prime minister, Gordon Brown, said the case for being in Afghanistan was "as strong as ever"
"This is not a head-on fight with the Taliban," he said. "We've got to get the public in Afghanistan to recognise it's their country and we're helping them take back more control of their own affairs."
Downing Street said the prime minister was open minded about sending more troops to Afghanistan.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/oct/01/afghanistan-troops-equipment