http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0612136388133222.htm
UK troops risk failure in Iraq, Afghanistan, warn MPs London, Dec 13, IRNA UK-MPs-Iraq British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are too thin on the ground, do not have the equipment they need and there is a significant risk they will fail in their mission, a cross-party committee of MPs warned Wednesday. "Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan are at vital stages and success in either operation is not assured," the Defence Select Committee said in a report, reflecting fears of an impending military disaster. "The current level of deployments poses a significant risk to the MoD (Ministry of Defence) achieving success in its military objectives," the report warned. It added that British troops are "operating in challenging conditions in insufficient numbers and without all the equipment they need." The report is seen as the clearest warning to date that the military may be unable to maintain its commitment to the two wars that has taken a heavy toll on the British Army because of a shortage of manpower and equipment. It reflects fears voiced by the chief of General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt, that there was a widely held view in the armed services that relations between the armed forces and the government could be undermined if current commitments are maintained. "It is clear that the current level of commitments is impacting on training. Over time this will impact on military effectiveness and on the armed forces' ability to `fight the next war', which could present entirely different challenges," the MPs warned. The committee also raised concerns about equipment shortages -- particularly the availability of serviceable battlefield helicopters in Iraq and Afghanistan and air transport to ferry troops to and from their theaters of operation. "Our service personnel always rise to the challenges that they are set, but that should not lead us to take them for granted," said the committee's chairman, James Arbuthnot. The opposition Conservative Party said the report showed that Britain's armed forces, which currently total 180,690 and are some 5,000 below targeted strength, was "overstretched." "If we damage the morale of our troops by overdeploying them in this way and then on top of that adding insult to injury on their allowances, it's much more difficult to retain them in the services," shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said. The MoD insisted in a statement that it was "keenly aware of the burdens" which operations place on the military, but said the report commended efforts to improve the retention of armed forces personnel. "Although the current level of operational activity is higher than planned, it is sustainable," the statement said. "Commanders are content that the armed forces can cope with the current level of military commitments," it said. +++ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
