Why does UK Military Budget keep letting down the Infantry?

Question

I do recognise the strategic importance of Trident but when will the Govt realise and solve the massive shortfalls in the current budget awared to those men and women on the ground who are getting killed and injured especally the infantry.

I'm at Uni at the moment studying strategic studies so I have a good idea about this, but in a couple of years i'll be in the army and it concerns me that the budget seems to be going down not up even though the army is spread around on more operations than ever before!

Does anyone else have any views on this?

Answer 1

It's not just the Infantry that are suffering, its the whole of the Army.
After much coverage in the press about poor kit and equipment the MOD has tried to improve the quality of kit issued to soldiers going on operations but have failed us drastically as they have contracted out to the cheapest supplier yet again. The trouble is that they do not consult fighting troops as to their requirements, for example I am deploying to Iraq in 7 weeks and have been issued various items of kit ranging from boots to sunglasses and other useless stuff in between.
To be honest the only things that I will be taking with me is the uniform so that I am dressed the same as my men. The rest of the stuff will remain here in the UK as it is useless rubbish.
The assault vest I was issued doesn't even fit over the new body armour.
On average people in my unit have spent up to £250 on their own kit (more in some cases).
Issues with weapons have been resolved now though, the A2 Rifle is a success and has the approval of most people I work with, as do all of the other weapon systems that we have.
In summary the kit is getting better but there needs to be a better budget for the procurement of kit and equipment. If that is not possible the people at the top need to ask us soldiers on the ground what we need to do our job effectivally and safely. Maybe this will reduce the number of soldiers comming home i wooden boxes or missing limbs.
Oh yeah, as for trident, we already have a nuclear deterant so why do we need to upgrade it? It was good enough during the hieght of the cold war it will be good enough now.

Answer 2

The cause of the failure [if that is the correct word] for the UK defence budget, is that the government insist on buying weapons etc from British manufacturers. Often these weapons and supplies are of inferior quality - jobs etc are on the line.

In reaility, UK would be far better off if it purchased military hardware off the shelf from the USA. Okay, this would mean fewer jobs in the UK weapons industry but it would mean quality from the Yanks.

The only real problem to buying off the shelf is that if we do buy weapons etc from say USA what happens when UK.gov decides to attack somewhere and the Yanks don't agree? Will they keep supplying or simply switch off the flow.

If you cast your mind back a few years, the British Army had a rifle called the SLR [Self Loading Rifle] based upon the Belgian FN. The Belgians supplied the ammo and when we went to war in the Falklands, they did not agree with us doing that, so guess what? Yeah! They stopped making bullets. Lucky for us someone else was able to make them instead.

Not sure what rifle the Brit Army uses now, but from what I've heard it's a real jammer.

The best rifle of it's day which the Brit Army had was the WW-One Lee Enfield Rifle which held nine rounds in the mag and one up the spout = 10 rounds in all. The Huns still had single shot rifles, and reloading after every shot. Okay so they had machine guns too. We cannot go back but what we should look for is something superior to what everyone else is using - how about the Kalashnikov Assault Rifle?

Answer 3

Labour governments traditionally cut defence budgets because they know the forces won't complain and it's popular with the peaceniks and idiots who vote for them. The last PM to increase the defence budget was Margaret Thatcher and it was a mighty popular move. But Labour deem things like social services and immigration camps more important than the defence of the realm. At least Trident will go through though.

Answer 4

As an ex serviceman i can honestly say the budget for the military is nowhere near big enough, they recently wasted £600 million on trying to improve the SA80 the standard infantry rifle, when i used it i constntly had problems no matter how well it was maintained it was absolutely crap, the one thing a soldier should be able to rely on is his/her weapon, as for the rest of our equipment i.e clothing, they just give the contract for making it to the lowest bidder and the results are very obvious, boots that can't withstand the punishment web gear that falls apart, it just goes on and yet we were still expected to go out an put our lives on the line with duff kit, i know thats what you sign up for but not when something like a stoppage in your weapon is the difference between taking out your target or your target killing you.

Answer 5

The basic problem is the government are trying to run a wartime army on a peacetime budget.They are letting domestic politics get in the way of proper allocations to defence they are spending 9 billion plus on the Olympics shouldn't the fight against terrorism come first otherwise it may become a 9 billion pound target.

Answer 6

I understand the strategic importance of Trident however I believe it should not be carried out and funds should be redirected... as you said towards Infantry.

Would we use Trident - we know the answer!

If any country launched any nuclear device in a hostile manner every other country would be furiated with them for the use of 'over force'.

I do wish we could use weapons like this but politics stop this from happening.

JSF - Another waste of money.

Instead they should redirect thoose funds towards updating Tornado.

Answer 7

i've got seen the fees our militia will pay, or in different words, i've got seen how plenty money we hemorrhage out almost corner of each and every branch on pointless issues that aren't getting the interest finished. I accept as true with you on welfare in some components. it rather is extra convenient for somebody hooked on drugs to get handouts, help-outs, and loose money than it is for an clever person that has to artwork 2 jobs and nonetheless fairly makes ends meet.

Answer 8

I agree with Franktur, we are fighting with 1 arm tied behind our backs the infantry esp. Stop the benefit scourges, + the money into the 3 forces. Tony Blair is out of his depth, war wise, opposed to Winston Churchill.

Answer 9

If you think their foot soldiers are getting hammered, you should see what they are doing with their navy. The UK fleet is going to be smaller than I think three other European countries. This was the same Navy that was the most powerful navy in the world less than 100 years ago.

Answer 10

its crazy down sizing every thing in the forces,

does not do our service personnel any favours,
only reason i can see is to give the rest of Europe a Chance if we ever have a fall out.