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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Army 'just' coping, says general | Army 'just' coping, says general |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The new head of the British Army, Sir Richard Dannatt, has warned that his soldiers can only "just" cope with the demands placed on them by ministers. | The new head of the British Army, Sir Richard Dannatt, has warned that his soldiers can only "just" cope with the demands placed on them by ministers. |
| Speaking before 14 personnel were killed in Afghanistan, he told the Guardian troops "are fighting at the limit of their capacity". | |
| Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells said he did not think that the British Army was overstretched. | Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells said he did not think that the British Army was overstretched. |
| Meanwhile, one UK soldier was killed by a suspected suicide bomber in Kabul. | Meanwhile, one UK soldier was killed by a suspected suicide bomber in Kabul. |
| Gen Dannatt, who took over from Sir Mike Jackson last week, said: "We are running hot, certainly running hot. | Gen Dannatt, who took over from Sir Mike Jackson last week, said: "We are running hot, certainly running hot. |
| "Can we cope? I pause. I say 'just'." | "Can we cope? I pause. I say 'just'." |
| We have to ensure our troops have sufficient fire power and numbers Col Tim Collins | We have to ensure our troops have sufficient fire power and numbers Col Tim Collins |
| He called for a national debate on whether enough resources are being given to the Army and said Britain was doing "more than its share of what is required in Afghanistan". | He called for a national debate on whether enough resources are being given to the Army and said Britain was doing "more than its share of what is required in Afghanistan". |
| His comments were published after 14 military personnel died on Saturday when their Nimrod MR2, based at RAF Kinloss in Scotland, came down in the southern province of Kandahar. | His comments were published after 14 military personnel died on Saturday when their Nimrod MR2, based at RAF Kinloss in Scotland, came down in the southern province of Kandahar. |
| Mr Howells, speaking from Afghanistan, said the Army had sufficient resources, but other Nato countries should be doing more. | Mr Howells, speaking from Afghanistan, said the Army had sufficient resources, but other Nato countries should be doing more. |
| "[Our commanders] are very confident that they have got the resources to do the job that we are here to do, and I really don't want to give the impression that there is a kind of crisis. | "[Our commanders] are very confident that they have got the resources to do the job that we are here to do, and I really don't want to give the impression that there is a kind of crisis. |
| 'Dangerous environment' | 'Dangerous environment' |
| "It's not that, it's just that the job can be done much more quickly and I think, much more safely if it's clear that all of the Nato members in this are pulling their weight and I think that is the important thing." | "It's not that, it's just that the job can be done much more quickly and I think, much more safely if it's clear that all of the Nato members in this are pulling their weight and I think that is the important thing." |
| He added: "There has got to be an effort right across Nato and not just concentrated on a certain number of countries like the UK and Canada." | He added: "There has got to be an effort right across Nato and not just concentrated on a certain number of countries like the UK and Canada." |
| Col Tim Collins, who commanded the First Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, said the British troops needed more resources. | Col Tim Collins, who commanded the First Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, said the British troops needed more resources. |
| "We have to ensure our troops have sufficient fire power and numbers to ensure the best chance that our servicemen will achieve their mission, and with the lowest cost in lives. | "We have to ensure our troops have sufficient fire power and numbers to ensure the best chance that our servicemen will achieve their mission, and with the lowest cost in lives. |
| "Cutting corners and saving money, the basest of all motives, may well cost lives and could spell disaster for the UK. | "Cutting corners and saving money, the basest of all motives, may well cost lives and could spell disaster for the UK. |
| "It's a very dangerous environment, nothing like what was conceived when the force package was put together." | "It's a very dangerous environment, nothing like what was conceived when the force package was put together." |
| Criticism 'unrealistic' | Criticism 'unrealistic' |
| Gen Patrick Cordingley, who was commander of the Desert Rats during the first Gulf War, said the criticism that not enough resources were being providing was justified. | Gen Patrick Cordingley, who was commander of the Desert Rats during the first Gulf War, said the criticism that not enough resources were being providing was justified. |
| "It's completely unrealistic, as some commentators are saying at the moment, that the government hasn't put enough money behind it. | "It's completely unrealistic, as some commentators are saying at the moment, that the government hasn't put enough money behind it. |
| "We could produce a lot more money now very quickly, but it would mortgage the future of the British Army and it probably wouldn't produce anything further for a considerable length of time." | "We could produce a lot more money now very quickly, but it would mortgage the future of the British Army and it probably wouldn't produce anything further for a considerable length of time." |
| But shadow defence minister Gerald Howarth, said the Tories had predicted that British troops would "get sucked into a very much more fierce counter insurgency operation". | But shadow defence minister Gerald Howarth, said the Tories had predicted that British troops would "get sucked into a very much more fierce counter insurgency operation". |
| However, Parliament was assured by John Reid, the then defence secretary, that this would not be the case, Mr Howarth told BBC Radio 4's World at One. | However, Parliament was assured by John Reid, the then defence secretary, that this would not be the case, Mr Howarth told BBC Radio 4's World at One. |