high taxation under this incompetent government,and poor management of our hard earned money,has resulted in underfunding in areas especially our armed forces, we all have ancestors that have fought in previous wars, that have protected our freedom.i am proud of the people that serve in our armed forces protecting our nation.it saddens me personally that gordon brown makes exscuses on funding,if he does not want to be a player in the world,then leave it up to the americans,

gary john herrington, barrow-in-furness, united kingdom

I left the Army in 1996 after 22 years, I was in NZ until 2000 and have been in Australia since then and worked for the Australian Defence Force for six years. There has always been a steady flow of ex British Army soldiers and officers moving across to this part of the world into the NZDF and ADF and always will be. However in recent times many moving here are saying exactly what this article says and citing those points as their primary motivation for coming here. An effective insurance policy is absolutely worthless if you don't pay the premiums!

Martin Craig, Melbourne, Australia

Mr Desmond Carter's passionate letter if not a joke may be an example of the frustration and ignorance of so many. I suspect that he was amongst the many who continue to vote in the labour ideological teams with their vast lack of practical experience in business, design, or anything else much that are dismantling our great institutions with no discernable plan for their effective replacement UNLESS the plan is to completely change the character of the country into a dictatorship where only those who think the true thoughts are permitted and according to Mr Carter, only those without impairment are to swim in pools. Without vibrant disucssion, thought atrophies and society is unable to meet the new challenges that face it. With regard to the 'Yankee' war there are actually two wars which labour went to great lenghts to lie about. No good squealing about oil, unless one doesn't use electricity, a car, hospital or school equipment.

helen, Norwich,

You know things are really bad when serving officers voice dissatisfaction, they normally wait until their pensions are safe and in retirement.

Patrick Harris, Portsmouth, England

Perhaps the government think we won't need an army in a few years, when they get the European Union Army up and running...

Marc, Edlesborough, Bucks

Look - lets face it! Since the military went in to a US war which nobody else wanted support for those who serve the military has collapsed. People don't ant their tax money wasted. As an example when the squaddies take over a community swimming pool, scare the kids and frighten the parents and won't pay their fair share is anyone suprided when decent folk are angered?

In an England where decent ordinary taxpayers are being let down day after day by the police, the NHS and the schools why should the military expect support given that it has joyfully and robustly suppoted a Yankee war no one else wants?

Desmond Carter, London,

I have witnessed at first hand the parsimony of GB to Defence whilst Chancellor . Urgent Operational Requirements rushed through the MOD for our troops would sit in his in-tray whilst Downing Street in-fighting and posturing took precedence. The current state of our Armed Forces is the result of a decade of neglect, underfunding and in-experience of this government in matters military. Is there any wonder that young officers are leaving in droves when they feel so undervalued and are fed up with making excuses to their men of why, after fighting with limited equipment, they return to poor barracks and an apathetic public. After all these young officers have skills in demand in civilian life where companies reward them for their efforts not ignore them.

Our military leadership has just begun to wake up to the fact that this government only listens to those who embarrass them in the public arena. The fight behind closed doors in the MOD is now history.

Alan Lockwood, Lincoln, UK

Nu Labour must attain 100% success. They have ruined all other great institutions of this country, except the Armed Forces. They are making good progress here however. We have seen the fiasco of Royal Navy Personnel captured by Iran, soldiers leaving, women in the front line to suit political correctness - the great work continues. Soon we'll have democratic decision taking on whether to attack or retreat - after all its their human right!

Keep going Nu Labour. The Armed Forces have been amongst the greatest of our assets in this country - they will just take a bit longer to destroy than the NHS, Education, Free Speech, a debt free economy, the indigenous population, national sovereignty etc. You'll soon succeed!

Steve, LOndon , UK

Goes all the way back to Tom King and the rush to implement 'Options for Change'. The military continues to suffer from Whitehall arrogance and idealogical gits in parliament who regard army officers as more cannon fodder in the class war. I was one of the above who left in mid-career because the prospects were bleak. Thank God I did.

KB, Sarajevo,

These fools under Gordon Brown are a complete disgrace to this country, they have set out over the last ten years to destroy the vary fabric of our society. I loathe them all.

D Case, Newquay,

Gordon Brown has allowed the situation to spiral out of control.

The longer he continues to ignore the problems the Forces face, the further he will slump in the polls.

The British public will not be happy once they find out the true extent of years of under funding. Like the NHS and Health, people want to see the cash and proper facilities.

If defence doesn't receive the same, then he will have this problem for most of this term in office and it will only get worse.

Martin, London,

Rudyard Kipling was correct: no one cares about the forces until the enemy are at the doorstep. Then it's an entirely different story.

Dennis, Portland OR, The American Colonies

Mr Harrington's suggestion that Ghurkas are the answrer is wildly wrong. Sure we could get a few more battalions from that source, but the key problem is that the government wont buy the necessary equipment and we are losing most of our skilled officers and NCOs and combat soldiers.

The answer is precisely as described by Eddie Reader - more money or less commitment.

Neil Murphy, cromer,

It is truly amazing how people express surprise at each stage in the calculated undermining of this country, and wonder how our government can possibly make so many 'mistakes'.
Certainly the issue is blurred by a genuine incompetence, but : Why would Labour - the party of the CND, pacifism, and outright marxism, the party distinguished by being full of raw hatred for the native population of this country, its traditional values and its way of life, the Party which sends our servicemen into battle outnumbered, ill-equipped, and watched over by civil-rights lawyers funded at taxpayers' expense to leap to the support of the enemy - why would it be worried if more White, heterosexual 'militarists' leave the Army ? All the more vacancies for women, 'British' ethnic minorities, increased employment straight from Africa, homosexuals and wimps to be filled by targetted recruitment, thereby breaking for good a bastion of British patriotism, pride, and disclpline.

L Stewart, Spalding, England

Voting with their inadequate boots Eh???

Hamish Morrison, Inverness, SCOTLAND

This what senior officers meant when they spoke of the Government breaking the army.The one part of our state that works will be reduced to the efficiency of our civil service and for the same reason -low morale.

robert everitt, wolverhampton,

Maybe Gordon Brown is trying to provoke a revolution - a military coup d'etat by Britain's armed forces?

Garth Rex, Glendale Heights, USA

When you give so many billions to criminals, druggies, the unemployable, teenage mothers raising criminals, asylum seekers, and such dole recipients, then there is little left for the worthwhile people.

kris, pass,

A soldier has to ask what are they fighting for, they deserve so much more respect, for their dedication and hard work.
Yet the media is focused on celebrity and football which in the scheme of things means little.
I cant see this Government heeding what the top brass in the forces are saying, so the soldiers are demeaned further.
I expect more young people to opt for media studies instead of the armed forces, because they wont be fighting for those that hate us.

lisa, norwich, uk

To Mr R Jones, Nottinghamshire.
Sir, you have absolutely no idea of the pressure faced by the thousands of serving men and women in our armed forces. The military is stretched beyond any levels previously known. Equipment is underfunded, accommodation is poor, injured soldiers are not looked after appropriately, family welfare is lacking, and despite all this, the armed forces fight for our country and do as the politicians dictate. It is time the government started looking after the people they send away to fight. Your comments are ignorant and show a disappointing lack of awareness, unfortunately displayed by many armchair pundits.

TM, preston, lancs

As a serving Army officer, I have deployed on three operational tours in the past 3 1/2 years and have been warned off for a further tour in late 2008. I love my job, the responsibility and way of life however undermanning is crippling every unit in which i have served. I have never encountered a Coy sized unit on operations without at least 20% of augmentee manpower - all due to the hidden non deployable personnel constraints. The single quarters in my old unit were crammed to capacity following a series of divorces and broken relationships as loved ones fail to cope with such a hectic deployment schedule. In between career courses and training there is not even time to take full leave, let alone contemplate adventure training. I do not know of one Infantry or Artillery officer of my peer group who is content. I have no faith in this government. I cannot see the situation improving and will be following the example of 70% of my intake next year following deployment.

Capt O, BFPO, Overseas

If all politicians had to do a tour at the front - things would be different. Also - fewer Typhoon fighters would pay for better conditions and equipment for the front line - with cash left over? Or maybe General Melchett-Brown, and Captain Darling can get their heads out of their trenches!

Rental John, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

In response to Lance Harrington's comment, Gurkha soldiers do get a full pension and a British passport on completion of their service.

Laurence, london,

They can come to Canada. We need them desperately.

Nicholas Townsend, London, Canada

didn't Blair say he would be proud to see his son in the military in Iracq?
I wonder if he has asked his son...?

mike, oxford, uk

Kind of ironic really, as i've just read this on the BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7111979.stm

Former Labour MP and Defence secretary saying that spending should be increased to 3% of GDP.

I'm delighted to read this. With any luck Mr Brown will take his old friends advice. Fingers crossed.

Jason Gardner, London,

Thrashed and bleeding in Iraq, thrashed and bewildered in Afghanistan, deprived of decent care and equipment, these were perhaps the world"s finest soldiers. The future?. In a possible future Western/Iranian conflict, still festering away on the backburner, how will our wearied troops fare?. A high Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps recently pointed out, "We have only to defeat the Anglo-Saxons,and the rest will give up and flee....".

Dirty Dick, Taunton, UK

It is far better that these officers leave now, rather than try to 'soldier' on until the end of their engagement.
When soldiers, commissioned or non-commissioned, realise that their future promotion prospects are limited through their own shortcomings being exposed and thus commented upon in their annual confidential reports, it is only natural that they should immediately start thinking about a new career more in line with their limited abilities.
Among the thousands of captains, majors, and colonels, there will be relatively few with the capabilities of being suitable for being promoted to 'star' rank. Thus the 'no-hopers' should not be allowed to stay in the forces, where they could easily de-moralise their colleages with constant whinging about their own perceived misfortune.

R. Jones, Nottinghamshire, UK

The military is the ultimate test of leadership and management...once someone leaves you can only recruit at the entry level to replace them. Industry largely treats its staff with disdain because it can always get more; it is civilian employees who are the real "cannon fodder". The Government is blowing its military capability for a generation...who would have thought that the Labour party would be both the war mongers and destroyers of the (mostly working class and Scottish) fighting regiments?

Liam, London, UK

This and previous governments have completely sold this country out through privatisation of our essential facilities water, gas and electricity to name a few , (all the family silvers gone) even our fishing industry is sold out to our European friends, no wonder there is no money to support our Armed Forces, there is only so much money the government can borrow, to keep that feel good factor in society, this is coming to an end. very soon, especially when the government has a mandate to run the country in the first place (if 37% voted for Labour that must mean 63% think they are not fit for purpose.)so much for democracy.
As the world oil runs out things are going to get much tighter, and role of the Forces will change drastically.
I left the R.A.F in 1998 thankfully!!! moral was going then!! Labour had only been in 1 year. I saw the future then..

Richard Costello, Northampton, England

If some of the vast amounts of money wasted on ministerial 'initiatives' were used for the maintenance of our armed forces, it would make a significant difference and everyone would be grateful. It is time these self serving idiots woke up to their true responsibilities. When will they stop meddling and start performing ?

Diddly Do, Liverpool,

Its not the next ten years we have to worry about, its the previous. Browns too good to be true figures as chancellor were just that, and It is slowly coming to light that this country is almost bankrupt because of if. Of course our troops should have the best, they are the best, hand in hand with the american troops. Labour should have reversed Nigel Lawsons give away 1986 budget when the mega rich tax went from 95% to 40%. We have been so impoverished ever since that brown encourages crippling migration in order to get an extra few quid in taxation. Browns unelected government must go, and taxation has to be increased on the rich if we are ever to get out of the mess we are in.

kenny livitt, Hove, uk

This is simply a manifestation of the stresses within British society. The electorate care about unemployment, health and education. The government, whilst keen to please the electorate, want to pretend that Britain is a world power, of sorts.
The government has to spend money on the NHS, education and soaking up excess labour by employing it - all off which costs money. It doesn't have enough left over to be a world-power - even a very minor one. It has got by because the Army tends to grit its teeth and get on with it. Four years of war, with no end in sight , is bringing those stresses to the surface.
The electorate either needs to change its priorities or pay more tax or vote in a governemnt that will withdraw not only from Iraq but also, more cost-effectively, from Afghanistan.

Eddie Reader, birmingham, england

As a serving officer - albeit only for a few more days - this article is 100% correct. i have completed tours of afghanistan and iraq. but when we are on tour - and at home - the incentives and rewards for being a serviceman are being removed. allowances are being cut for serving and living in germany while the cost of living there increases. We are finding the time between tours is not as long as it should be - the figures are skewed by training regiment numbers and staff officers in posts that have not deployed for years - and will not.

My peers are leaving in their droves as they feel they are being asked to do too much for too little.

A.N. Officer, bournemouth,

The answer to the Armies loss of man power is to resurrect some of the old Gurkha regiments which were disbanded and their colours placed into mothballs. The Gurkhas have a proven and distinguished track record with the British army.

Thousands of Gurkhas try to enlist for service every year with less than 300 being successfull.

its a shame this government and previous governements do not extend rights to a full pension and citizenship to these outstanding men of Nepal who serve our country often for the full 22 years service.

Lance Harrington, Canterbury , Kent, UK

I don’t believe the indigenous population undervalues our armed forces, but I do believe that this governments constant meddling with our nations identity has left most people confused as to whether showing appreciation or gratitude towards our troops might lead to some form of criminal prosecution on either religious or racial grounds. As for soldier’s family accommodation, if those premises belonged to civilian landlords or local councils they would find themselves in court and the residents re-housed as they are a damn disgrace. How is it that this Labour government can waste billions on hosting the Olympics (games) yet when it comes to the welfare of the real heroes in our country they throw a twenty-four hour ration pack with a note attached stating this is really a forty eight hour pack? We are not amused Brown and our troops deserve better so take your fingers out of your ears and your cheque book out of your pocket.

Cromwell, Leeds, England

For too long the government has treated the armed forces of this country as its 'toy train set' to do its bidding (often unsupported by the public) whilst starving them of the resources and manpower to do the job properly. As a result, morale has sky-dived and those (expensively-trained), experienced and proud servants of their country have had enough and are voting with their feet. Another worrying consequence of this 'abuse' is the increasing politicisation of the armed forces. Traditionally fiercely apolitical as servants of the Crown, with no-one in the political and State apparatus seemingly looking after their interests, members, from top brass down are being forced to speak out to defend their people - a wretched situation. I am sure this state of affairs would not exist if more politicians had served in the armed forces of their Country, and seen the effects of their short-sighted policies first hand.

Steve (former RN officer), Yorks, UK

It is the primary requirement of any government of whatever political hue to attend to this country's defence. It is not an equivelent with health care nor civil bureacracy which the Prime Minister is reported to have claimed have equal claims on the Crown's purse.

The government is repeating a neglect of this country's defences which echoes the neglect of the 1930's which but for the efforts of a few partiots would have left this country at the mercy of the Nazis.

This is starting to look like a dogmatic betrayal of our armed forces.

Andrew Lewis, Chelmsford, England

The real problem will manifest itself in about ten years. These men are the future staff ranks. They are not only experienced in warfare,but clearly are thoughtful. The army needs men like this.

Bill, Belfast, N.I.

this is to add to the doctors and dentists quitting the NHS, Teachers quitting the schools in this country...etc. Well done Gordon BROWN

Genco Abbandando, Naples,

good
let's send brown and blair to iraq and afganistan with a pack of sandwiches and a bow and arrow.Sniffing both factions and with Allah's help, they can do it.
you just need vision.

doug, northwood, England

Mick Smith has revealed the true tragedy of recent years. The loss of highly trained, skilled and experienced officers is appalling. These people should have been nurtured and retained. Without them the armed forces are substantially weaker and less efficient.

I'd go further. This wholsale destruction of the backbone of the armed forces places those remaining in grave danger - precisely when they are enaged fighting for our country.

For too long we have heard the Ministry of Defence repeating that recruitment is going well. It's not recruitment which is the problem, it's retention. Overall the armed forces remain substantially under strength, and with these major losses, under skilled.

Derek Twigg has either not understood or, as we have come to expect, is dissimulating.

Chuck Unsworth, London,

This Government doesn't care about the Armed forces since taking office 10years ago it hastheir aim to run down the regular armed forces and they will continue to do so unless someone has the courage to say enough is enough and there is a vote of no confidence in in this administration in the House of Commons and House of Lords.

AMAC, St.Helens, England