There is no better man to make troops fit for purpose

Richards has strong views on Afghanistan and knows the place inside out after serving more than a year as commander of the international force there. He also served with distinction in Sierra Leone and East Timor, and is more experienced than any other senior British commander at the current form of ragged guerrilla insurgency, or "asymmetric" warfare.

In Afghanistan he was used to dealing with president Hamid Karzai and Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, tricky customers both, on a daily basis. He also had to deal with the Americans, who disagreed with his "hearts and minds" approach, although the new man in charge of US forces throughout the region, General David Petraeus, is more in tune with him.

Richards is no defeatist. He thinks that the battle to stabilise Afghanistan is still there to be won but believes that the problems of a collapsing Pakistan are serious and a threat both to the region and, through terrorist threats, to Britain and Europe.

His prime role will be to make the Army fit for purpose for the undeclared timeless conflicts and humanitarian emergencies of the 21st century. Most in the Army, and many in the others services, too, think there is no better man to step up to the plate.