Commenting on today’s statement by Des Browne on the MoD’s Spring Performance Report, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey said:
 
“This damning report adds to the growing sense that Gordon Brown doesn’t care about the military.
 
“The report is a catalogue of woes for the MoD. There is a recruitment catastrophe, dangerous levels of overstretch and a crisis in the defence equipment budget. Read more »

Commenting on General Petraeus’ comments today on British troop levels in Iraq, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey said: 

Gordon Brown last year announced reductions to our presence in Basra which have yet to materialise. The sad truth appears to be that our troops are being used to serve the increasingly desperate political strategies of the White House and Number 10.  Read more »

Monday saw Defence Questions in the House to the Secretary of State for Defence.

Concerned over the increasing strains placed on our Armed Forces and the detrimental impact ongoing operations on two-fronts might have on our future capabilities and the welfare and morale of our troops, Nick raised the following question:

 Nick Harvey (Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, Defence; North Devon, Liberal Democrat)

The Government argue that our troops are stretched but not overstretched, yet the drawdown from Iraq has been postponed and serious recruitment difficulties cannot be entirely masked by a massive increase in recruitment from the Commonwealth. For how much longer can we operate beyond defence planning assumptions without doing damage to our future capabilities? Do we really have the spare capacity to undertake further commitments—in Kosovo, for example—and if we do, what lessons have we learned from Iraq and Afghanistan about making it clear that we are going in for a time-limited shift and not taking on another open-ended commitment? Read more »

Commenting on Des Browne’s announcement today that British troop numbers in Iraq will only be reduced ‘if conditions allow’, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey said:

This statement fails to provide any certainty for the future of our hard-pressed forces in Iraq.

 Why did the Prime Minister rush to announce troop withdrawals last year if the situation in southern Iraq is so unpredictable? Read more »

Commenting on today’s inquest evidence from a former RAF commander, in which he claimed he was ‘censored’ for voicing his concerns on safety measures in Hercules aircraft, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey said:

It is outrageous that yet another one of our brave service personnel feels their concerns over frontline equipment have been ignored, or even censored.

This inquest has seen former RAF personnel queuing up to say that they expressed concerns over the lack of explosive-suppressant foam in Hercules aircraft, years before its absence allowed this tragedy to happen. Read more »

Commenting on reports that British naval personnel seized by Iran last year were in internationally disputed waters and not in Iraqi territory as Des Browne told the Commons, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey said:

 “The release of this document heaps further embarrassment on an already humiliating episode for the Government.

 “The service personnel involved suffered not only the trauma of capture but also intense public scrutiny over their actions. Now it seems they were failed by their political masters. Read more »