Soldiers 'dying because of cuts': Brown starved forces of cash, says ex-defence chief

By Matthew Hickley
10th July 2009
Daily Mail


A former head of the armed forces yesterday accused Gordon Brown of endangering the lives of British troops in Afghanistan by starving the military of funds.

In a devastating personal attack, Lord Guthrie said that under Mr Brown the Treasury had spent 'the minimum they could get away with' on defence.

The resulting shortage of helicopters in Afghanistan has led to more British soldiers being killed by roadside bombs, the distinguished commander claimed.

It indicated 'the unsympathetic view the Chancellor of the day and the Treasury had of defence when Britain went into southern Afghanistan in 2006', he added.

Lord Guthrie, a former Chief of the Defence Staff, also accused the Treasury of harming the 'operational safety' of our soldiers by blocking British commanders' recent requests for more troops to fight the Taliban.

The comments from such a respected former chief are a severe blow for the Government at a time when UK casualties are rising fast, and criticism of Britain's strategy is growing more intense.

Seven British soldiers have died in Afghanistan in the past week alone, bringing the total killed since the operation there began in 2001 to 176.

The UK sent 3,300 troops into Helmand Province, in southern Afghanistan, in 2006, and that figure has since risen steadily to 9,000 - but commanders have warned that the force is still too small.

The recent offensive launched by British forces in central Helmand has caused heavy casualties. According to Army insiders, some units are down to barely half their manpower due to injuries, heat exhaustion and battle shock.

But earlier this week new Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth ruled out sending extra troops to Afghanistan.

Lord Guthrie said: 'I understand why the general public are concerned. Britain's military-commanders on the ground are definitely suffering from having too few people.

'I spoke to an officer the other day who said that the Treasury had affected the operational safety of our soldiers, by preventing an uplift in our numbers.'

He said UK commanders wanted an extra 2,000 troops, adding: 'They feel it's not a huge increase. It would enable them to carry out operations and hold ground which has been seized, denying the opportunity for the Taliban to return.

'As far as helicopters are concerned, of course they need more helicopters. If there had been more, it is very likely that fewer soldiers would have been killed by roadside bombs.'

He added: 'It is an indication of the unsympathetic view the Chancellor of the day and the Treasury had of defence when Britain went into southern Afghanistan in 2006.

'They were prepared to give very large amounts of money to other departments, but the minimum they could get away with to defence.

'That's also true of the years before 2006. Helicopters don't just appear. They have to be built and pilots have to be trained.'

Lord Guthrie, a former SAS commander, was head of the British Army from 1994-1997 and then Chief of the Defence Staff until 2001. As General Sir Charles Guthrie, he accepted a peerage when he retired.

Yesterday, the overall commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan gave a damning verdict on the scale of Britain's commitment to the conflict.

U.S. General Stanley McChrystal claimed the modest British force fighting in the south of the country for the past three years had faced 'tasks wider than its numbers allowed it to do' - enabling the Taliban to 'burrow deep' and keep control of wide areas.

He said UK troops had 'done great work' in Helmand, but added: 'We have never had the density of forces that would allow us to go into more than fairly limited areas and change the dynamic by staying.'

And Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg shattered the fragile cross-party unity over Afghanistan by accusing Labour ministers of lacking a clear strategy - making the war a political battleground in Westminster for the first time.

He said young soldiers' lives were being 'thrown away' in Afghanistan and urged ministers to rethink the campaign 'before it's too late'.







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