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Extra helicopters are 'old and knackered', says former Army commander
10 Sep 2009A former Army commander who led troops in Afghanistan said many of the extra helicopters being sent to the war-torn country were "old, knackered Sea Kings".
Colonel Stuart Tootal, who commanded 3 Para in Afghanistan, also attacked the number of British troops saying: "I personally believe there is not enough equipment or enough troops there."
He attacked the capability of the Sea Kings saying they had "limited lift capacity".
It is not the first time the former top soldier has attacked British policy in Afghanistan. Last month he warned that Britain could lose the war due to a "lack of political will".
He said in a speech at the Frontline Club in central London last night that politicians needed to follow the example of 18-year-old British soldiers in Afghanistan and show courage by "staking their colours to the mast".
But he underlined his support for the troops demanding the British people do not "wobble" in their support for the mission in Afghanistan.
"They can question the way it's being delivered, but they must not turn around and say, 'This is the wrong mission that we are in'," he said.
"Soldiers don't want sympathy, they don't want pity, they just want support, and the last thing they want is for the British public to wobble on them now."
Col Tootal, who resigned from the Army in 2007, has often criticised soldiers' pay and treatment of the wounded, and lack of numbers being committed to the operation.
He also criticised levels of international aid, including from Britain, which he described as "very poor" and which were needed to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people.
Col Tootal did however spotlight progress in the war with the Taliban.
"They are taking a beating," he said. "When I was there, the Taliban were launching nearly conventional attacks on the district centres, and that's not happening now.
"They are under pressure, that is why they've moved towards a more asymmetric kind of attack, the roadside bomb."
Asked about concerns of the conduct of the Afghan elections, he said: "Quite rightly, people are questioning the legitimacy of the Kabul government, but it's what we've got, and it's still an improvement on what the Taliban were offering in terms of their government from 1996 to 2001.
"It's an immature democracy and there are lots of problems with it, but the key thing is to nurture it along and improve the governance."
He warned that victory was going to fall somewhere short of a conventional victory in terms of armies surrendering and a clear political solution.
But the Taliban were being squeezed, and extremist elements were being moved towards an accommodation, he said.
Asked why he had resigned from the Army, he said there were a number of reasons.
He said he was "shocked to the core" by "the poor treatment of my wounded".
He said there had been "significant improvements" at Selly Oak in Birmingham, where returning troops are treated.
"There are still problems with mixed wards, problems with compensation," he said.
"I often wonder, how could we ever have let it get so bad, and why did it take such political and public weight to change it?"
Reader views (5)
Austen - Procurement of military equipment is the preserve of the MOD, a part of government, not the armed forces themselves. While it is true that the Armed Forces have an input into deciding the equipment that is needed, political interference and incompetence in the ordering, development and deployment has been going on for many years to the detriment of the effectiveness of the armed forces. Like it or not, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, ie Gordon Brown is _directly_ responsible for the current parlous state of affairs.
- John Cruddas, London UK, 10/09/2009 14:30
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Tony Johnson is wrong to blame Gordon Brown.
The inability to buy and maintain suitable equipment lies with the armed forces. It's not as though they haven't had the money, considering the billions of pounds they've wasted on things like helicopters that can't fly because of the wrong software or a lack of armour plating.
- Austen, London, 10/09/2009 11:01
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This is the responsability of the Chancellor of the day, one known as Gordon Brown
- Tonyjohnson, Hythe Kent, 10/09/2009 09:35
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They are destroying about one chinook a month at the moment to keep them out of enemy hands as they can't repair broken ones in hostile territory. So whats the point of sending brand new ones out there which because of advanced technology require servicing thats almost impossible to provide. I am reminded that when they filmed The Persuaders TV series in the south of France they sent down a six cylinder Aston Martin instead of a new eight cylinder as the new one would not have lasted the filming without being serviced.
- Jackoflondon@Hotmail.Co.Uk, Richmond, Surrey, 10/09/2009 08:25
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Extra helicopters are 'old and knackered', says former Army commander.
Just like labour party MP's.
- Frank, Copenhagen, Denmark, 10/09/2009 08:05
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