Mr Speaker
I am grateful to the DUP for raising this subject today. It is a timely reminder of the great importance of our Armed Services to the life of this nation and of the debt that we owe them.
I am very concerned at what our Government is doing. I believe that in our efforts to appease the bean counters, we are throwing away the ability to protect our interests.
Last week, HMS Cumberland, the only ship available in what was our once proud Mediterranean fleet, was en route home to be turned into a baked bean can, when she was dispatched to evacuate our citizens from Libya.
This week, our Prime Minister proposed a no fly zone over Libya. The next day, the Secretary of State for Defence announced 5000 job losses in the RAF – the same RAF, surely, which would patrol the Libya skies.
The effects on our servicemen’s morale can hardly be imagined - just as those on the front line must feel undermined and underwhelmed by a country which will send them redundancy notices while they are still fighting for their lives, and our ideals.
We are living through some of the most unstable times that I can remember. North Africa is changing before our very eyes; the map is being redrawn.
Alliances are shifting and critical relationships are being scattered to the wind.
For many reasons – energy security foremost amongst them – our relationships with these countries is of profound importance.
But until times are calmer, we will not know what, if anything, remains of recent foreign policy initiatives.
For this reason alone, I would urge our front bench to halt the strategic defence and security review. We cannot possible know what new dangers we face, what threats to our national interest are being stirred up, until things have settled.
We must review the review.
In the meantime, we are leaving ourselves empty handed and impotent.
Will our enemies sit on their hands while we comfortably bed in our new aircraft carrier and typhoons in 9 years’ time? I think not.
We have used Malta and Cyprus this week as bases for our forces. Further afield, we would be out of options.
What further evidence do we need that we should keep an aircraft carrier and harriers on active service until we have something to replace them?
Hang the expense. Like an insurance premium, none of us enjoy paying it - until we need to claim.
Defence of the realm is a Governments first priority and - by focusing on balancing the books to the exclusion of all else - we are neglecting it.
Finally, I am uneasy at our promise to enshrine the military covenant in law. We must renew and refresh it and hold ourselves to the highest possible standards of interpretation – which means keeping our word on pensions, allowances, accommodation and kit.
This, in exchange for their great risks our service personnel undertake, seems fair. But I am sure that most would agree that enshrining such an agreement in law might throw up some unintended consequences – not least, a flurry of litigation on both sides.