If what NuLabour is doing to the Armed Forces not TREASON..then, for heaven's sake, what else can you call it?

Are not Britain's defensive and offensive capabilities constantly being eroded.....to dangerously inadequate levels?

Is today's Britain realistically capable of self-defense?

Garth Strong, Los Angeles, USA

So, a Labour gov't chaired (I can't say 'led') by Gordie Brown, in which not one of them has ever worn a uniform or served. Never been in harm's way. A Prime Minister who described our forces as "operating in many 'difficult' theatres..." (like there are easy ones?) And no FULL TIME Sec Defence???

Bren Tierney, Manchester,

Huh? A couple of questions: Doesn't the UK have the 2nd largest defence budget in the world? According to Wiki it does. What is the real reason for Brig Butler leaving the army? Could it be a dummy spit for not getting the promotion he wanted; i.e. director of special forces?

Marcus, Perth, Australia

Maybe he should fade away. It is possible gov is cutting back on the military because it does more harm than good. The belligerant militarism and imperialistic megabombing of the Bush/Clinton establishment has put the entire world at risk. Terrorism had very little to do with it.

David Mende, florida, us

The Brits left Basra when it was dangerous. The Yanks sent in the Iraqi Army with U.S. air support and now people walk the streets of Basra in peace. The Brits had it backward. You don't start out with helmets off, you start out with helmets on and hit the enemy hard and then take your helmets off!

Kyle, St. Johns, Canada

To Asitha Rodrigo:- I respect Paddy Ashdown's SBS service - but I lost all respect for Mr Ashdown after he stated that "the nation state was irrelevant" meaning that he was an internationalist and the very sort of person this country needs less of, not more. We have no shortage of liberals!

P. Williams, London, England

Maybe he could retire in OZ and teach us about defence. The English have a good history of managing warfare. With all of the big armies to Australias north theres hardly a gun in the cupboard. None for the citizens if China wants us as New South China or Indonesia wants us as South Irian.

G.Gibson, Sydney, Australia

brigadier butler is a true mans man who will be sorely missed by the men he leads but hay lets get more immigrants in to use up more of our seemingly unlimited resorces instead of the tax payers money being put to proper use

barry greenfield, coventry, england

"I only wish some of these great men would do one final service for their country and move into politics - with the express purpose of ousting the criminally anti-British political establishment currently destroying this once great nation."

P. Williams, London, England

Brig. Butler: PLEASE!

Garth Strong, Los Angeles, USA

Brigadier Butler chose to fall on his sword, hoping it would better the lot of the fine officers and men his successor will lead. Such gallantry is clearly unknown among Labour.

Dennis Eagan, Colorado Springs, USA

It is indeed a very great loss to the Army to lose a senior officer of the calibre of Brig Ed Butler. He would almost certainly have made the Army Board. Colonels Tim Collins and Jorge Mendonca are two other officers of outstanding ability who left. Thus the 2nd Eleven end up running the Army.

Colin Robinson Lt Col (Retd), York, United Kingdom

Too often people claim officers complain about conditions AFTER they leave the service. Those people cannot appreciate the repercussions of complaint whilst IN uniform.

These are some extremely brave men who have (had?) to cut short their careers in the interest of supporting their troops.

Dennis, Portland OR, US (The Colonies)

The solution is simple... stop fighting wars that a country is unable to support. One of the reasons for the break up of Great Britains "empire" was bankruptcy after WW2. The US is going down that route with its costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

John Taylor, London,

I would so like the fat cat MPs and MEPs to have to do a six month tour in Helmand province.

Tone, cambridge,

I left the Royal Navy demoralised after spending time in port pretending to be at sea - and having to say "bang" or "whoosh" when we were at sea not being able to practice our weapons because they cost money. What chance in a war?!

Tom, Lichfield,

Brig Ed Butler is a fine leader and a great loss to the Armed Forces. he commanded 16 Air Assualt Brigade and I in Afghanistan in 2006, this is a great loss but I commend his actions whilst speaking out. The Government is on a 'sinking ship'. Still serving Soldier

Name withheld, England,

And what about Captain Jan Hamilton? Don't forget her.

David, Cambridge, UK

If the dross in Westminster listened to the Miltary lkeaders instead of the consultants they employ which do not add value for money consider the GBP9B spent on colsulatnts.

Cut all MP's benefits and give ito the people who put their lives on the line and make a differnce.

Pete Whitley, Appleton, Wisconsin

This is what happens when new-blue labour tries to run a service as a business. I smell the wind of change in the political air.

robert mcnicol, st ives, uk

If a Brigadier gets pushed to the point of resignation then there is something wrong. The SAS usually has an open cheque book, and for the owner of the unit to quit reveals a serious issue that cannot have escaped Dannut.

Weaver, Hong Kong,

Defence spending is like NHS spending, there will never be enough money in the pot. Unless someone creates a new political party called- tax you higher for spending. I doubt they would get many votes though.

Charlie Nash, Salisbury, England

Who will man the aircraft carriers? Untrained personnel? Untrained civilians? The Navy is already undermanned and lacks the training capacity to provide experienced crews for the proposed aircraft carriers. MoD will deny this - they deny all reality these days - they daren't admit reality.

Major (Retd) Michael Hamilton, Kelso, Roxburghshire

Bet the new eu super army will have plenty.
Thats the bin police i am refering to not a military unit.

rob, ashbourne, uk

Unless the Generals attack this issue directly i.e. the overall 'pot' for the defence spend needs to grow substantially. The fact is that they will just move the money around to appease Soldiers, vice Sailors or Airmen. A few more 'Senior Officers' need to fall on their swords, and not just Army!

Brendan, Abbots Langley, Herts

..........but isn't the much decorated SAS soldier Andy McNab quoted elsewhere as saying how well equipped the Forces are?

Chris, Birmingham,

I don't understand why he resigned, it's a huge loss to UK.

cristiano, Wuhan, China

I don't understand why all of the British armed forces do not resign en masse. After all, why lose life and limb for a third world country ie., Britain?

AB FOSSER, Brisbane, Australia

Shane: don't despair dear boy - its money what talks not liberal or socialist idiots as you put it - think colossal US $ deficit for example or dreaded sub-prime con - no wonder the plundered Iraqui oil cash is stashed away in America -

Nicholas Xenakis, Borough, London, England, Britain

What a sorry mess. At least now we have Sir Richard Dannart as our head of armed forces and not that self seeking Mike Jackson. Ed Butler is a fine soldier, his leaving will be a blow to out morale in Afghanistan. Will somebody in the government listen before it's too late?

Mick Cyprus

Mick , Nicosia, Cyprus

It is important to note that a private soldier is paid 12000 pounds and a traffic warden is paid 17000 pounds.

Soldiers should resign and become traffic wardens.

uanmi, Melbourne,

Whilst our egocentric MPs squabble at the trough over their own pay and expenses, our equally volunteer armed forces personnel accept theirs with quiet dignity. The very least we owe them is to equip and maintain them properly as they execute our government's follies.

Mike L, Chippenham, Wilts

The people who should be forced to resign are the MOD permenant secretaries and Labour who have done nothing but undermine our forces in the field and for entering us into an illegal war!
Mod spends too much money on plush offices!
Brown and Browne should salute this MAN but they wont!

steve tea, manchester, cheshire

This country is a joke when it comes to politicians, we need the services of such highly respected people like Ed Butler, they have experience where it is needed, politicians haven't a clue, they are just looking to save their own faces and shouldn't be allowed tp play with peoples lives.

Kerry Jones, Bath, England

To P. Williams, One of those great men did. Paddy Ashdown served in the SBS (Even shadier and hard core than the SAS by all accounts), and had a fantastic understanding of the realities of war and politics. None of you lot voted for him because he was a liberal (I did).

Asitha Rodrigo, LONDON, United Kingdom

When underpaid heroes die for lack of equipment or the right equipment by the constaints of budget, procurement or allocation, coal face leaders and officers resigning at the age of 48 signifies the internal failings of Government and the MoD, whatever recent spin and impressions it projects!

Rob Olivier, London, UK

The Common Purpose brigade will be highly delighted. An objective of the marxists who came to power with Blair and Brown has been the destruction of the instituions that protect Britain's values. Those values are now mostly gone - look at knife crime and drug use, and hospitals that kill not cure.

Tony, Newark,

The armed forces does not need more money for equipment. They need to spend it more effectively. They require helicopters and transport aircraft rather than jet fighters, mine protected vehicles rather than the FRES. We should invest in better Generals as well as bureaucrats.

Steven Singer, Perth, Australia

This bloody country is dying, why? because too many liberal / socialist ideots are hell bent on destroying it.

shane, blackburn, england

Is there anyone at the War Office can make Ed Butler change his mind, because he can be very useful to help our troops, who have badly treated by Blair & co.
It apears he is not the only senior officer to resign, we need these men to support the lower ranks.

ray smith, alicante, Spain

This government is the worst we have ever had and I can remember the days pre-Winter of Discontent !!!!

ian payne, walsall,

Soldiers are dying because of lack of resourses yet we can still afford aircraft carriers.

Seems to be a need for a review of priorities

Mike, Gravesend, England

Send the Whitehall shiny bums on a nice hiking tour through Iraq and Afghanistan dressed in Marks & Spencers Bermuda shorts and nice colourful Honolulu shirts armed with an old English longbow and see how they get on. Perhaps they will then appreciate what soldiers go through.

Len, Perth, Western Australia

Another good man lost to the Armed Forces.

I wonder who the Senior Officers were given this man is a Brigadier?

Richard, Plymouth,

Simple we have a goverment who left school went to university read a few books got a job in politics and never did any real living beyond that... the result is a politician so far distanced from the reality of life its shocking. Take the home secretary for one along with the rest !

lee harrison, leeds, uk

FE FI FO FUM!: I smell the boiling blood of a lot of VERY angry Englishmen!

Garth Strong, Los Angeles, USA

There has to be a line drawn at some point with what is going wrong at the MOD; its very obvious these problems need to be rectified sooner rather than later. If our troops are not getting the equipment they need, then someone needs to step down.
What does Mr.Brown plan on doing about this!

avtar singh, liverpool, UK

All i can say is congratulations to Gordie and his mates, They are managing to implement Labours long term strategy from the 70's to run down our defence forces via the backdoor without having a mandate for it, but hey, isnt that how Gordie got his current job anyway!

James, Auckland/&outhampton, UK/NZ

When is the government going to start treating the people who put their lives on the line for their country with more respect? If costs have to be cut it should not be at the expense of the safety of the brave men and women they have sent to war.

David Sutton, Bexleyheath, UK

Who cares - everybody can resign. Des and Gordon are running the show and they know the best. They will take more consultants, PR experts and pen-pushers and feel like wining. Blair started it, these two are finishing the army, but problem is that Cameron is the same and Libs even worse.

savo, london, uk

I only wish some of these great men would do one final service for their country and move into politics - with the express purpose of ousting the criminally anti-British political establishment currently destroying this once great nation.

P. Williams, London, England

We will soon have to send employees of the MoD to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Oh I almost forgot - they are all exempt from military service! How convenient!
"New desk, chair, oak door or index linked pension at 60, anyone?"
"... I'm trying to write a procurement contract - how do you spell Chinook?"

peterj, malvern, uk