The Way the U.K Govt, treats the U.K Armed Forces would have to be one of the biggest Jokes in the Western World.

I never thought I'd hear something so often that is so pathetic, that 'budget constraints' have forced us to cut back. Seriously. Ever heared of Joke, Wanting a Ferrari but only got 50,000 to spend... Oh I'm sorry, even though we knew we didn't have enough, looks like we're going to have to cancel. Proceed to do this knowingly for the past 50 years, and you have what is the U.K Government.

On the otherhand, for example, we have a Western Country like Australia. 'Oh we need two new amphibs, ok, here's the money'. Oh we need some new destroyers, 'Ok here's the Money, oh wait, we can possibly get 4, well build the first 3, and whats left over we'll get a 4th'. Oh wait, we need helo's, well lets buy some new one's.

Join the U.K Armed Forces? What a really bad Career Move.

Dave, London,

........ Meanwhile at Northern Rock!!!

Tony Bell, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Rather than just constantly reducing troop numbers and equipment levels it is time for the MoD to think radical. Scrap the RAF as a separate force and allocate their equipment to the Army and Navy whilst making redundant the hierarchy.

This would improve efficiency and make huge savings.

To NR of Bristol - Long may we remain informed of the hooros of 20th Century wars lest we forget the lessons that these should teach us and those who died for us.

MikeW, Glos, UK

What should we expect from an organisation that is staffed at the top decision making levels by military officers that have little understanding of fiscal responsibility?

If the CEO of an oil business pursued investing £4bn in off-shore drilling platforms, knowing full well that the drill heads wouldn't be available for years after the platforms had been completed, he would be fired. Yet the MoD are still pressing ahead with new carriers that will be operational, even if delayed for 2 years, well before the aircraft that they are designed to carry. Of course, this being the public sector, the decision makers aren't rewarded with unemployment, but with a knighthood and a promotion to further improve their fat state-funded pension.

While the military might have cause to blame the civil service in the MoD, whose Director of Finance recently admited to parliament he didn't have an accountancy qualification, but they share the blame for consistently changing the goal posts.

James Gallagher, London, UK

As usual, the government is prepared to sacrifice the lives of our servicemen and women, without any concern over their lack of equipment. The alleged "duty of care" owed to our troops is not being implemented and the "bean counters" at Whitehall are happy to squander money on Quangos and Junkets for government mandarins, whilst our armed forces are bled to death. It is without a doubt, time for the heads of the armed forces to take a lead and withdraw all our troops from active deployment until such time as the government coughs up and funds the defence budget.

ian woolger, Budleigh Salterton, Devon

The Biggest Security Threat to Britain is the British Government!

RD, WSM, England

So much for our young men, catapulted into Iraq and Afghanistan by a "tally-ho" Labour government and then eventually deserted and ignored, except for the occasional pre-election photo-opp. Soon, they'll not only be equipped with second rate gear, but find some of it denied them on cost grounds. Meanwhile our leaders, past and present, continue their lucrative careers, chauffered around in brand new £100,000 bomb-proof BMWs. How long before the book-signing launch of the blockbuster biography "How I saved Iraq"?

Theo Nelson, South Hams,

This is truly disastrous news; the actions of the Treasury over refusing to pay the operational costs that they should is a disgrace. It is absolutely unconscionable that our armed services should be facing a continually expanding range and accelerating tempo of operations at the same time as the Treasury are hamstringing them at every turn.

Nick P, Preston, UK

It is interesting, when viewed from the western shore of the Atlantic, to watch Labour, whose backbenchers desire nothing more than to distance themselves from military links to the United States, make decisions that will force the UK to become far more dependent upon US military support when the cheese begins to bind in the future.

Dennis Eagan, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

It is high time the UK stopped obsessing over war. The amount of TV time that appears to be about the 1st and 2nd world wars is nothing short of ridiculous.

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread may be a good description of UK foreign politics. As a NZ friend remarked, England appears to want get involved far too quickly in far too many conflicts. I have to agree.

NR, Bristol, UK

Compared with the billions being shovelled into education, social security payments and the NHS, the defence budget is tiny. Sadly, politicians think, wrongly, that there are no votes in defence.

PMA, Omagh, N Ireland,

Absolutely disgusting, to what lower depths can this government sink with its unmitigated, callous, irresponsible and quite frankly scandalously dangerous demolition of the military?

Adam Rickard, Hemel Hempstead,

Once again this shows how much the government thinks of our military personnel. The cut backs are going to make it even harder for them to carry out their jobs. Why don't we just scrap the whole of our armed forces... I mean what is the point in having them when in realistic terms they can't do anything.

Having left the RAF a couple of years ago, I am hearing stories from friends who are still in of the ridiculous conditions that they are having to deal with. What the government isn't telling the general public is how many of the troops are leaving.

Cut backs.... they wont need to have cut backs the personnel are leaving on their own accord.

Craig M, Sydney,