Remember these lads

[Rich Pullen]

Not talking about the Middle East Rich, Afghanistan in particular is what I would be interested in hearing about.

Middle East, Greater Middle East - whatever.

[nochee]

I would like to know how and when this war in Afghanistan can be won? When will the bodies of young lads stop being flown home to their grieving parents.

I understand that we are fighting off a terrorist organization and by doing so protecting our country. But is there an end in sight? Or will we have years and years of standing on the streets remembering the dead?

[Spencer_White]

Years and years I rekon. Will be far far worse if and when we have to intervene in Pakistan to stop Islamic militants having control of nuclear weapons.

We cant afford to loose either war (Afganistan or Pakistan). Thanks to mass immigration we are inextricably linked to Pakistan. If we allow it to become an Islamic state that wages war on the West then Britain's domestic and international position will become pretty grim. I dont think it will stop until the funds from Oil rich arabs in countries like Saudi Arabia dry up. Their money is/has changed the face of Islam. In fact, the sooner the Middle East runs out of oil the better.


For Ronnie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_casualties_in_Afghanistan

[axs]

Bugger me, everybody bangs on about the World Wars in this county, and for which we get criticised for starting wars, and now you want us involved

You're just not team players, are you?

[ronnie21]

For Ronnie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_casualties_in_Afghanistan

Thanks for that

[SwindonTartanArmy]

Good turn out by the Military college today as well.

Just so dissapoint that these lives are wasted on an impossible to win war. The British Army have gone into Afghanistan twice before and lost. Christ, the Russians dumped 200,000 troops in there and couldnt win.

[Talk Talk]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ministry-Defeat-2003-2009-British-Iraq/dp/1441169970/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242260139&sr=1-1

It applies just as much to Afghanistan as Iraq.

Under equipped and vulnerable. Disgraceful.

[Talk Talk]

And lots more about what is happening in Afghanistan that the media are not interested in at http://defenceoftherealm.blogspot.com/. Particularly about the failure to invest in and supply vehicles that can withstand IEDs.

[Bennett]

I would like to know how and when this war in Afghanistan can be won? When will the bodies of young lads stop being flown home to their grieving parents.

I understand that we are fighting off a terrorist organization and by doing so protecting our country. But is there an end in sight? Or will we have years and years of standing on the streets remembering the dead?

when aaaaaall the bad people are gone and er presumably that includes all of the bad people we're creating by killing their family.

big picture- it's a aimless conflict, in that the aim pretty much revolves around killing anyone who disagrees with you.

small/closer to home picture- these poor sods get to go and do what to them would be an honest days work, except potentailly be killed doing it.

i know it's a job i couldn't do and have nothing but respect for them, it's a shame their lives are in vain

[LucienSanchez]

For some reason, i'm starting to fancy a military career... i can't put my finger on why though

[Phil_S]

I have massive respect for all off them. They are as ever doing a fantastic job with one hand tied behind their back by the politicians.
I suggested my son thinks about a career in the forces, but not the Army. It's too bloody dangerous. Selfish I know but he's the only som I've got. This adds to my sadness at seeing these lads come back in coffins all around his age if not younger.
Succesive governments have constantly applied cuts to our armed forces, but still want to act as a global super power. These guys in Afganistan are paid less than a bloody traffic warden, & one real nappy outreach worker gets two to three times as much) & are true lions led by donkeys. 
What annoys me is that a Goverments first duty is to defend the nation, but it's the area that is continually cut.  Both parties are guilty of this, but on Browns watch it has gone beyod the pale, & they are now telling blatant lies too.
We have even got to the stage where the serving military are speaking out about it.
I could go on all day about this, they have wrecked the Navy, effectively taking out the carriers & then cancelling replacements. The airforce has planes that are falling apart, & blow up beacause they won't spend money on making them safe. They cut the helicopter budget, withdraw others because they can't fly in the Afgan air & then lie saying there are more copters when there are.
I knoe cuts have to be made to rectify Browns spending splurge on other areas, but defence should not be cut at all. (Spending should be more efficient though). 
Browns VAT cut of 12 billion, would have been better spent on building equipment for the forces, & could have created jobs into the bargain.
IMHO Brown has their blood on his hands.

[Samdy Gray]

Found out yesterday that my cousin who's in the RAF is out in Afghanistan at the moment. Bit strange because the last I heard he was working on Tristar at Brize Norton, so not sure what they've got him doing out there.

[SwindonTartanArmy]

Found out yesterday that my cousin who's in the RAF is out in Afghanistan at the moment. Bit strange because the last I heard he was working on Tristar at Brize Norton, so not sure what they've got him doing out there.

my guess would be working on Tristars!

[ghanimah]

Good to see Wiltshire folk showing deserved respect.

Rest in Peace.

and to be fair Oxfordshire folk as well. I paid my respects last night outside the JR hospital in Oxford and there must have been hundreds lining the surrounding streets. Very humbling

[pumbaa]

my guess would be working on Tristars!

They are used for troop transport. Falling apart as well.

Frankly defence spending is a fucking joke. Year after year, moratoriums are placed on spending and projects get salami-sliced to save money which means we can't deliver what the guys/gals at the sharp end really want. We're lumbered with a whole host of cold war equipment (Challenger 2, what the fuck are they good for?), Chinook's with major structural defects (not called the flying banana for nothing.....) and aircraft that are 40 years old and hanging due to some fuckwit's incompetence for thinking we didn't need any air transport, but we really did need 270 odd Eurofighters as they fly fast upside down, make lots of fucking noise and spit flames out the back......I'm still not convinced by the need for the two new carriers, albeit it does protect jobs on the Clyde.

The way its going at the moment we won't have an Air Force in 2014 because some fucking idiots can't make up their minds whether my safety-critical to flight safety project delivers 'enough' savings over its lifecycle.........FFS................

All I know is that some good people in my organisation are working their bollocks off round the clock to provide the forces with the best equipment we can at best value for money to the tax payer, albeit with both hands tied behind our backs and blindfolded.

Does that count as a rant?