MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK retired military claim further defence budget cuts ahead

Lord Boyce: “Lack of commitment to national security”.

Two of Britain's former heads of the military have accused the Government of failing the Armed Forces following a cash-saving review of the defence budget.

The intervention by former chiefs of the defence staff Lord Boyce and Lord Craig of Radley came after the decision to delay the introduction of the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers by up to two years. Lord Boyce warned further cuts in the budget were likely in the coming months and Lord Craig said the Government was "failing to demonstrate its full-hearted commitment to national security". UK Defence Secretary John Hutton announced on Thursday that the £4 billion carrier project was to be put back and the Army's Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) armoured vehicle programme would also be delayed. The two former chiefs of the defence staff (CDS) are patrons of the UK National Defence Association (UKNDA), which has strongly condemned the move. Lord Boyce, who was head of the Armed Forces between 2001 and 2003, said: "Last week's announcement by the Secretary of State for Defence is just another demonstration of years of under-investment in defence, and it conceals cuts yet to come in the months ahead. "As defence equipment inflation has risen to above 8% and commitments have increased well beyond defence planning assumptions, so has defence been under-resourced by a budget that has year-on-year decreased as a percentage of GDP. "The Government's hand-to-mouth, barely adequate servicing of today's wars pays no attention to the need to future-proof responsibly for tomorrow's conflicts - which are as unpredictable as all have been for the past 30 years. "The security of our country is quite palpably far from being a high priority for this Government, and of this the men and women of our Armed Forces are painfully aware. They feel badly let down, given the sacrifices they are making." Lord Craig, who was CDS from 1988-91, added: "When no attempt is or can be made to achieve immediate and major lasting reductions in the commitment and scales of effort currently required from our overstretched Armed Forces, giving them the clearest possible indication of the Government's full support is vital. Fine words are no longer enough."