AS I write, I am not sure whether my bid to speak in Thursday’s debate on the progress of the Strategic Defence and Security Review was successful.
The review, if you recall, was announced by the Prime Minister in October 2010.
The object, he said, was to create a “step change in the way we protect this country’s security interests.”
In other words, to save money - a projected eight per cent over four years.
So we scrapped our only aircraft carrier, HMS Ark Royal, junked the Nimrod reconnaissance planes, and sold off our Harriers for spares to the USA.
The Army lost 7,000 jobs, the RAF and Navy 5,000 each and the MOD 25,000.
Only frontline troops were protected from cuts.
In exchange, we were promised two aircraft carriers and planes to fly off them, a new fleet of submarines and six, modern destroyers by 2020.
Until then, the world would remain at peace and our island and interests unthreatened?
I don’t think so, as this week, alone, has shown.
In response to Western sanctions over their nuclear programme, Iran has threatened to close the Straits of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil supplies pass.
Two American carriers are now on station. Our contribution; one warship.
Meanwhile, the Falklands may be under threat again.
In the Middle East, the Arab Spring has turned into an ‘Arab Winter’.
Even our recent ‘triumph’ in Libya looks shaky.
Nigeria and Yemen are succumbing to Al Qaeda-backed fundamentalists, aiming for a return to the Dark Ages.
Russia is unpredictable, China is empire building and North Korea remains a sinister enigma.
As a country, we have a history of cutting our armed forces, especially in austere times.
We appear to be making the same mistake again.
In my view defence spending should rise, not fall.
We have a solemn duty to protect our country, our dependents and our NATO allies.
It’s a duty we ignore at our peril.