Given that everyone in a front line unit from the CO to the private are in it together and stick together and put up with it and get on with it, there any number of senior officers from General to Colonel who have knowingly put them in it. Can anyone tell us why these senior officers seem to simply accept orders from the politicians and knowingly assist in the wrecking of the Army?

Michael Davis, East Preston, England

In answer to George of Bolton about suing MOD it would appear not possible.
Last year the Corporate Manslaughter & Corporate Homicide Act 2007 was passed and guess what ? Section 3 states that any duty of care owed by a public authority in respect of matters of public policy including allocation of resources or the weighing of competing public interests....is not a 'relevant duty of care'.
Section 4 in specific relation to Military Activity gets MOD off the hook in similar terms.
The 'weighing of competing public interests' is obviously about the difficulty of deciding whether to spend taxpayers money on proper equipment for our armed forces in the frontline or bonuses for civil servants back in Blighty.

David Moon, Seaford, East Sussex

'It was certainly not our intention to cause any distress to the family and our thoughts and sympathies are with them at this time'............what a fatuous and vacuous MOD response to their own dereliction of responsibility.
Doubtless Brown has his fingerprints on the circumstances of these equipment failures and the resultant loss of lives but expecting him to take any blame is like waiting for Halley's comet to reappear!

john trew, Beijing, China

Ah yes, another person tells it like it is, and another group of faceless bureaucrats will take absolutely no notice. C'est la vie - Yes (Prime) Minister anyone?

Mike, Buderim , Queensland Australia

Lack of equipment doesn't kill the soldiers!!!! The enemy kills the soldiers!!!! We are fighting an enemy that will resort to any measure to kill our servicemen and women. This includes dressing up as females, wearing the bhurka and using children as shields. Lets get this into perspective. Re-equipping the armed forces can't be done with a cash & carry attitude to guns and vehicles. Buying the best is expensive. This means that hospitals, education, police and fire services would lose on their share if it was all spent on one single service. Get real !!!! Support the boys and girls in a tough job. the coroner should not get into politics here. He/she should simply state the manner and cause of death.

David, Brussels,

This poor chap didn't die for a great British cause...he died so that Americans can continue to drive their gas guzzlers. Thanks to Mr Blair.

jayil, london, uk

Shame on this unpopular and pathetic government, its predecessors and in particular Messrs Blair and Brown. May they never forget their folly of going to war in 2003.

RIP James - you and your ilk are the true heroes of the hour !!!

Ian Payne, Walsall,

please read the book 3 Para which was written about the soldiers of the paras who served in helmand, it will open your eyes as to how much we ask of these guys and how little we appreciate them....

Michael, London,

Of course our troops are cash starved. The likes of Brown prefer to give taxpayers' money to the benefits brigade who will vote for him.

gerry, exeter, england

This is a tragedy and a disgrace of Herculean proportions. The people who denied these soldiers appropriated equipment should be put on trial for Manslaughter.

I have lived ans worked in a War Zone - in Vietnam. How many of the pen pushers at the Ministry of Defence know what battle conditions are like.

SHAME, SHAME, SHAME that this happened to gallant young Englishmen at war. Someone should be put on trial for this.

Gwenda Hassett, Melbourne, Australia,

Dear Richard (Bristol)

Yes starved of cash, but there was just enough to pay out 41 million in "productivity bonuses" to civil servants at the MoD. We're in the money !

william29, Southampton, UK

This is such a sad and very bad story.Sad for the Family of such a lovely young man and bad for Gordon Brown because He was the one who starved the forces of much needed funds. How does he sleep at night. I agree with Howard of Basildon the people should have the power to apply for impeachment of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown plus a few more.Politicians say all the right things when they want the vote but as soon as they get into office they do exactly as they want regardless of the promises they made they seem to have so much contempt for the people of this Country.They are there to serve the people in a fair and just way but once in office they serve themselves and help themselves to taxpayers money on a grand scale.We should stand up for our rights and have a vote of no Confidence in this Labour Government.Many of our lads would still be here today if they had the right equipment.

June Sumner, Notts,

While H.M Forces are denied the right equipment and the police are denied their independently adjudicated pay rise, there seems no let up in the frivolous self serving schemes by ambitious Ministers to spend/waste ever more millions of our money on crackpot scemes. It would do them good to have to spend some time with one of our regiments or with the police in one of our inner city hell holes.

David Nammory, Liverpool,

With regard to the writer David York who mentions trying Des Browne for Treason, oh I wish it was possible! However Mr T. Bliar did away with the Treason Act 1361 shortly after coming to power. Guess what it was replaced with/ Would you believe Anti Terrorism Laws.
I firmly believe that the People should be given the Power to apply to the courts for the Impeachment of a politician for Misprision (or similar) in a Public Office.
Time we stood up for ourselves like the French do and let Government know They serve the people not the other way round.

Howard, Basildon, England

My heart goes out to the family of this brave officer. The government should provide whatever is needed. But frankly why should we hope that a government that banned a Ghurka -Mr Pun VC and brought back 5 non British terrorists from Gitmo would do anything or really care. This labour government has its priorities and it certainly is not our safety or giving our soldiers everything they need.

John, clifton, nottingham

" the Taleban appeared to be equipped with a huge supply of rocket-propelled grenades and other weaponry with which to attack the British troops. "

Who is funding the Taleban? Why, the Saudis, it would seem. To them, besides any religious reasons, (do Saudis do anything on the religious front, or is money their God) war is great business. I know they love George Bush, giving their war so many special pushes. The Bushes and the Saudi royal family are especially close. Do you smell something off in the kitchen?

Mom, San Francisco, California

The evidence continues to mount of the betrayal of the Armed Forces by Nulabour Today the government was spinning against the latest report by the USI suggesting our security was being threatened by Government policy. Des Browne's showy annoncement is obviously part of the same talkback . The facts remain the same as when former service chiefs made their unprecedented comments in the House of Lords.The deployment in Afghansistan will ultimately break the army if it continmues at the same level with the same resources for another five or even ten years. It is a disaster. Politically we managed to award ourselves a major combat role with the support only of the US - our forces brave and resouceful as they are. are neither numerous enough nor adequately equiped for the nigh impossible job. You do not have to be a defence chief to work this out. Now the inadequate RN even faces the humiliation of needing the escort of American gunboats to carry out its duties in the Gulf safely!

david, Uzes, France

This is blood on Gordon Brown's hands.
He underfed the military for years.
YOU'RE to blame for this Mr Brown.

Phill, The Wirral, England

Between Westminster bloat and Social Services bloat I think that there's some fat that can be used with better effect on the Army.

Richard, London, England

It is not only Chancellor Gordon (MacScrooge) Brown who nis to blame for the shortfall in equipmment for the Armed Forces. The full time mandarins and bureaucrats in the MoD and in HM Treasury have to bear their share. These guys have a long, long, tradition of parsimony when it come to equiping the Armed forces. The Broone's tenure at the Treasury has given them a golden opportunity to live their tradition to the full.

W D Toulman

W D Toulman, WALKINGTON, UK

In several court cases, people have been charged with manslaughter for not making sure that equipment was good enough. Should not that be the case here now with the Labour Defence Ministers?

George, Bolton, UK

I cant top what Richard George from Bristol said...well spoken Sir !

Dave, Lincoln,

So it has now been determined beyond doubt that our troops are dying because they are being sent into battle without adequate equippment. As the consequences of sending troops into battle inadequately armed are so clear and simple a child could predict them, then my only conclusion is that the government are doing this on purpose. Surely if a government orders it's troops into battle knowing full well that they face highly increased risk of death due to being underarmed, then surely that government is committing an illegal act. Maybe it is time we find the politician who heads the government departmart responsible for the funding and issuing of military equippment and charge them with treason. Someone is accountable for this and only when we have someone like Des Browne in the dock answering charges of treason, will the public and the troops and their families hear the true justifiation for sending inadequately armed and equipped troops into battle.

David, York, U.K

A coworker of mine was activated and sent to Afghanistan. He told me that the equipment available to UK troops was deplorable. He told me that their vehicles were constantly breaking down and not up to the job. When his unit was standing down and preparing to return to the States, UK troops were begging for any body armor or even boots that they could spare as their supply system couldn't take care of them.

greer baker, jefferson city, mo/usa

"The MoD was starved of cash by the Chancellor" - says it all - The inept and corrupt politicians were too busy channelling the cash into their own expense accounts, mortgages and pensions. They should be eternally ashamed of themselves. My sympathy is with the nearest and dearest relatives who are left to cope with this situation.

Richard George, Bristol, UK

Politicians like to think of themselves as 'leaders' - in that case they should be first 'over the top'. They are certainly paid enough

Michael , SW France, France