Britain can't fight two wars at same time: Military chief

SUPERPOWERS

Sir Jock Stirrup.

by Staff Writers
London (AFP) June 25, 2008
Britain's military is not structured to maintain significant presences in two countries at once, as is currently the case, the head of the country's armed forces said in comments reported Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters in London a day earlier, Sir Jock Stirrup, the air chief marshal and chief of the defence staff, said that Britain's military was "very stretched" with thousands of troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We are not structured or resourced to do two of these things on this scale on an enduring basis but we have been doing it on an enduring basis for years," Stirrup said in the comments reported by The Daily Telegraph and other British newspapers.

"Until we get to the stage when one of them comes down to small scale, we will be stretched beyond the capabilities we have.

"That is not what we are structured for, nor is it what we plan for. We are very stretched at the moment. Until we get down to one operation at this scale, we are always going to be stretched."

Britain currently has around 7,800 soldiers based in Afghanistan, a figure soon set to rise to 8,000, and a further 4,000 in Iraq.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us Digg Reddit

YahooMyWeb Google Facebook

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS
Solar Energy Solutions
Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ...

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

SUPERPOWERS

Analysis: Shandong buildup -- Part 1

Hong Kong (UPI) Jun 24, 2008
China is building up its military forces facing South Korea, possibly to deter South Korea and Japan from aiding Taiwan.

SUPERPOWERS China Deploys Bomber Coverage Of Korea And Taiwan From Shandong Peninsula Britain can't fight two wars at same time: Military chief Climate change will impact US national security China welcomes first Japanese warship since WWII	NUKEWARS London mayor pulls out of global anti-nuclear group: office Syrian nuclear probe off to 'good start': IAEA chief inspector Top US military officer heads to Israel with Iran on the agenda NKorea may come off US terror list soon: White House
MISSILE NEWS Olympics: China deploys missiles to guard Games Raytheon Delivers 1,000th Tomahawk Block IV Cruise Missile To US Navy Russia Destroys 20 Ballistic Missiles In 2008 Under START Treaty Analysis: Missiles aimed at Taiwan	MISSILE DEFENSE BMD Base Woes Continue In Former Eastern Bloc Part Two US taps Lithuania as alternative to Poland for missile shield plan Outside View: BMD base woes -- Part 1 BMD Focus: Will Lithuania host BMD base?
AEROSPACE China to roll out new turboprop plane: report IATA head slams EU plans to include aviation in emissions trading A Plane With Wings Of Glass US Airways signs code-sharing deal with Air China	UAV NEWS Rockwell Collins Controls And Lands Wing-Damaged UAV Predator, Reaper Unit Becomes Air Expeditionary Wing UK Defence Committee Enquiry Into ISTAR And Role Of UAVs Boeing Awarded Navy Contract For ScanEagle Services
IRAQ WARS Security gains in Iraq are fragile, reversible: Pentagon Its A Shamal World For Combat Weather Airmen USAF Counter Insurgency Strategies Part Three Dogs of War: CACI - Some Publicity Is Bad	MILTECH Harris Receives HF Radio Order For MRAP Vehicles Oxley Exhibits Advanced Land Systems Lighting Technology At DVD Turkey, Italy launch attack helicopter project Outside View: China's weapons -- Part 2

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement