thegooooooooooch
18-09-2006, 07:50 PM
It is common knowledge that the British Army is the best in the world.
Not the biggest by any stretch of the imagination but definitely the best.
So why are these brave men and women finding themselves worse equipped for the war they are fighting than a bunch of raghead Islamic extremists?
It was reported that last week, whilst under intense fire from Taliban small arms and RPGs that a platoon of the Parachute Regiment ran out of ammunition for their 7.1mm calibre machine gun leaving them badly exposed. It was days before one of the few serviceable army helicopters in Afghanistan was able to drop much need supplies. Meanwhile the army are also short of Land Rovers with the required armour which has again led various groups of soldiers being cut-off by the local militants. One thing you don’t want when fighting a mostly Russian equipped army are vehicles that fall to pieces after one rocket hit.
Meanwhile radio communication is nigh on impossible in some areas as the wrong field sets were issued to troops who found they couldn’t pick up other units two miles down the road never mind divisional HQ.
As you will have all seen on today’s news, a year after an RAF C130 was downed in Iraq it was revealed that foam insulation, commonplace in American military transport aircraft since the early fifties, has only been fitted to one Royal Air Force Hercules since the disaster. This is despite promises from then Secretary of Defence John Reid that ALL aircraft would be fitted with the foam so to further protect the lives of British service men and women.
There are many reasons for this but I’m afraid that the governments’ shambolic attitude towards its armed forces is the main factor behind this disgraceful situation.
Its continual efforts to almost rid the UK of an air force means the aforementioned badly needed helicopters are all parked on British soil as there are currently two combat choppers to every pilot. The fact is the army air corps, who were given the responsibility of flying the Chinooks and Apaches when they took over from the now decimated (by ‘cut-backs’) RAF squadrons, just aren’t good enough to fly such advanced aircraft. Also half the UK’s Chinooks are grounded at RAF Odiham in Hampshire in various states of disrepair.
The reason? Not enough money to service them.
How many more British lives will be lost before the government will pull their finger out and give these guys the right equipment in large amounts required?
This has nothing to do with who should be where and fighting who (my personal opinion is that we should leave Iraq asap but still have a job to do in Afghanistan). But surely if we are to fight a conflict anywhere in this world we must provide our superbly trained and organised troops with not only the best equipment going, but also the basics because this IS a matter of life and death.
tg
Not the biggest by any stretch of the imagination but definitely the best.
So why are these brave men and women finding themselves worse equipped for the war they are fighting than a bunch of raghead Islamic extremists?
It was reported that last week, whilst under intense fire from Taliban small arms and RPGs that a platoon of the Parachute Regiment ran out of ammunition for their 7.1mm calibre machine gun leaving them badly exposed. It was days before one of the few serviceable army helicopters in Afghanistan was able to drop much need supplies. Meanwhile the army are also short of Land Rovers with the required armour which has again led various groups of soldiers being cut-off by the local militants. One thing you don’t want when fighting a mostly Russian equipped army are vehicles that fall to pieces after one rocket hit.
Meanwhile radio communication is nigh on impossible in some areas as the wrong field sets were issued to troops who found they couldn’t pick up other units two miles down the road never mind divisional HQ.
As you will have all seen on today’s news, a year after an RAF C130 was downed in Iraq it was revealed that foam insulation, commonplace in American military transport aircraft since the early fifties, has only been fitted to one Royal Air Force Hercules since the disaster. This is despite promises from then Secretary of Defence John Reid that ALL aircraft would be fitted with the foam so to further protect the lives of British service men and women.
There are many reasons for this but I’m afraid that the governments’ shambolic attitude towards its armed forces is the main factor behind this disgraceful situation.
Its continual efforts to almost rid the UK of an air force means the aforementioned badly needed helicopters are all parked on British soil as there are currently two combat choppers to every pilot. The fact is the army air corps, who were given the responsibility of flying the Chinooks and Apaches when they took over from the now decimated (by ‘cut-backs’) RAF squadrons, just aren’t good enough to fly such advanced aircraft. Also half the UK’s Chinooks are grounded at RAF Odiham in Hampshire in various states of disrepair.
The reason? Not enough money to service them.
How many more British lives will be lost before the government will pull their finger out and give these guys the right equipment in large amounts required?
This has nothing to do with who should be where and fighting who (my personal opinion is that we should leave Iraq asap but still have a job to do in Afghanistan). But surely if we are to fight a conflict anywhere in this world we must provide our superbly trained and organised troops with not only the best equipment going, but also the basics because this IS a matter of life and death.
tg