DAILY MAIL COMMENT: The perils of penny pinching on defence
Fighting in Ukraine intensifies by the day. The drumbeat to all-out war in the Middle East grows ever louder.
China rattles its sabre at Taiwan and other neighbours, while waging a silent cyber campaign against Britain and the West.
The volatility of North Korea and its capricious leader Kim Jong Un raises fears of nuclear calamity and across much of the planet tyranny is on the rise.
In such febrile times, it’s vital that Britain’s military is properly resourced and fit for purpose. As well as needing to be ready to defend ourselves, we are also, along with our Nato allies, at the forefront of a global fight for freedom.
So why does the Government not give defence the priority it deserves?
As we report today, even frontline military units are having their training budgets slashed in a bid to save money.
Instead of using live ammunition during battlefield exercises, soldiers may be told merely to pretend to be firing their weapons and senior officers have been ordered to limit use of artillery. Pictured: Soldiers in a training area on October 29, 2019 in Salisbury, England
Labour has also refused to commit to a deadline for raising defence spending to the benchmark figure of 2.5 per cent of GDP from its current level of 2.3
Instead of using live ammunition during battlefield exercises, soldiers may be told merely to pretend to be firing their weapons and senior officers have been ordered to limit use of artillery.
If this charade weren’t so terrifying, it would be hilarious. Certainly, it will raise a smile from Vladimir Putin and other ambitious despots.
The cuts are being made to save £400 million to fund a pay rise for all service personnel. The increase is long overdue but funding it from existing budgets leaves the military dangerously stretched.
Labour has also refused to commit to a deadline for raising defence spending to the benchmark figure of 2.5 per cent of GDP from its current level of 2.3.
The Mail’s Don’t Leave Britain Defenceless campaign has called for significant military investment to counter the threat from Russia in particular.
Yet this government seems to be going in the opposite direction. It is a false economy and one which seriously jeopardises national security.
Ministers will no doubt argue that in these straitened times, Britain can’t afford to spend more on defence. The truth is, we can’t afford not to.
Crossing the line
For 154 years, the British Red Cross has done indispensable humanitarian work in war zones around the world.
In order to pursue its work of alleviating suffering wherever it’s to be found, the organisation is rightly wary of being drawn into political controversy.
However, a new ‘inclusive’ language guide issued to staff comes perilously close to breaking that golden rule.
It recommends, for example, using the phrase pregnant ‘women and people’, on the grounds that ‘people who are not women can go through pregnancy’.
In order to pursue its work of alleviating suffering wherever it’s to be found, the Red Cross is rightly wary of being drawn into political controversy. Pictured is a British Red Cross van
It warns against saying someone was ‘born’ a certain sex, preferring ‘assigned/observed/registered male or female at birth’.
And, of course, it insists anyone who identifies as female should be treated as such and allowed access to female-only spaces.
This is a headlong dive into sexual politics, which many of its clients may find at best uncomfortable, at worst offensive.
If it wants to preserve its reputation for neutrality, the Red Cross should avoid taking sides in the culture wars and get on with the business of saving lives.
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