When I served in the Army the total strength was just over 180,000 of which the Territorial Army accounted for 85,000. Today those numbers are much smaller, a shade over 100,000 in total, but in reality a TA of only 19,000 trained soldiers.

Meanwhile the civil service element of the MOD has grown to a bloated 85,000 and continues to deliver outstanding failures, especially in the areas of procurement. Cost over runs and/or late delivery is almost the norm. The only equipment that is delivered relatively successfully is via Urgent Operational Requirements (UOR) and anyone who has worked on the supplier side of UOR will tell you that they are a god-send. If something is “urgent” then cost doesn’t matter. Tidy mark-ups all round!

Today we learn that over 55,000 MOD civil servants are receiving bonuses. In principle I don’t mind giving  people an incentive to over perform. But to do so you need to accept that if people under-perform then they lose the most basic bonus of even keeping their job. So for some of those who have failed there should have been dismissal.  I can’t seem to have heard about any of that anywhere, even for the team that several years ago delivered 9 helicopters that sit in a shed in the West of England as they didn’t order the right software to be able to fly them.

For those who have achieved bonuses, I would dearly love to know what their targets were. If you accept that bonuses are a means of getting more out of people then you need to know how much more you are getting in return for the payment made.

As for the arguments about it all being within the salary budget: Rubbish! It all comes from the Defence Budget, the one that recently wanted to save £20 million by cutting all TA training for the rest of this financial year. Money can be re-allocated within the Ministry if there is will to do so.

Sadly though when it comes to will power we are lacking. Nobody is prepared to take on the over-sized civil element in the MOD. Nobody drives for true accountability and as a result we reward mediocrity without evening knowing how high the bar of mediocrity had been set.

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One memory sticks in my mind about Remembrance Day and that is: Curry.

For some reason best known to army officers older than me, many regiments would hold a Curry Lunch after the annual remembrance service and what lunches they were. All the Regimental Silver was on display, all officers, wives, girlfriends and local big wigs were in attendance.  The chefs always laid on a great spread and we all enjoyed an afternoon of too much food and drink. And all on a Sunday too!

The memories that came close to the curry were of the parade, the need to be there on time and well turned out and the sense that we were looking back on great losses from wars that would never be repeated. The death total was beyond comprehension: 28,000 or more killed on the first day of the Somme for example. And it was all so far away. Even when we met old soldiers we could not quite understand what it was about. They often did not want to talk of the horrors of war but would only talk of the comradeship and missing mates.

But time moves on, and whilst I’m sure that there were many Curry Lunches last Sunday, the “age” has changed. Harry Patch, the last surviving soldier of World War 1 died earlier this year and with him went that close association with that savage era of tactical and strategic military lunacy. No longer do we see films of the trenches to remind us of the horrors of war. Yet the need to remember is still with us.

This last weekend was a period of sombre remembrance for me and I suspect many others. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but my tear ducts tell me that this year was different. Even the annual Festival of Remembrance was quite different this year to previous years. For a start there were fewer servicemen and women in attendance, busy elsewhere no doubt. There were no uplifting displays of service dog teams or naval rigging climbing that many will have seen in the past, instead we were remembering with, I think, some confusion. What had been so long in the past, is now part of our present. And that is not comfortable and we don’t yet know how to respond.

On Sunday morning the ceremonies around the nation; London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, with smaller parades in many towns. All with their own way of doing things, but all with one common aim: a sense of remembering. Some were remembering as they had done so for many years, certainly the Cenotaph was just as it always has been, but for some towns this was the first time in modern history that war and its consequences had come to their door. In Truro, the family of Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid were supported by thousands as they remembered a young man killed only a week before. And that support was expressed in a very modern way with less sobriety, less sombreness and a greater feeling of love and affection.

As time moves on, so will our need to remember. Whilst Remembrance Day will always hold a strong link to those who have been killed in the Great Wars, for many the need to remember is increasingly the need to remember those who have recently made the greatest sacrifice and also to remember those brave individuals who are continually at risk in theatres of war.

The mood of the nation is changing in regard to current operations. Many no longer feel that the risks of war are worthwhile. Deaths are not acceptable, especially when the reason is less than clear. The naming of individuals killed personalises the loss and makes us all feel bereaved. And we now ask “why?”

This will see us change the way we remember. But whatever we change or whatever we do, we must ensure that we never forget.

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Shell, international oil giant and owner of a chain of petrol stations in Britain, have banned the on-site collection of money in support of the Royal British Legion annual Poppy Appeal. This is particuarly insensitive when one recalls that their oil platforms were protected in the North Sea by Royal Marines.

It also appears to be an act of crass stupidity at a time when there is clear public support for the military and a groundswell of feeling around Remembrance.

To express my own “thanks” to Shell for this wholly unnecesary and objectionable act I shall refuse to buy anything from their service stations from now on.

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I was due to go on the radio tomorrow to discuss the findings of an investigation into Nimrod crashes, but the priority has been changed: just like the PM’s mind. We will now talk about the TA instead.

Two weeks ago we were told that it was necessary to cut the training of TA soldiers for the rest of the financial year unless they were going to deploy on operations. This would save a pathetic £20 million, even if it could ruin recruitment and retention of trained soldiers.

Yesterday we heard that this would be changed and that enough budget was being enabled to provide for training on one evening per month. This was strongly opposed by the opposition benches and also  by serious opposition on the Labour benches. A revolt was growing.

After some Labour lobbying by John Reid, a former defence secretary, we no learn that the PM will change it all back to the way it was and there will be no cuts to TA training this financial year. Presumably someone will spin this as a PM who listens. From my perspective it shows a PM who does not think.

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Whenthe recently retired Army chief says that requests for 2,000 additional troops for Afghanistan were turned down by the Prime Minister and a Downing Street spokes person says: “Any suggestion that the prime m

inister has been unwilling to deploy more troops or provide the necessary resources is simply wrong,” who do you believe?

It is true that there are now more British troops in Afghanistan than were there in 2007, but this is because of a commitment to boost the numbers to cover the election but for a short period only.Those extra troops were specifically earmarked for a role and yet are now staying in theatre.

Dannatt was a thorn in the PM’s side whilst serving, speaking his mind about morale, equipment, funding and support. He should have been promoted to Chief of Defence Staff in my opinion, but was too challenging for this pusillanimous Prime Minister.

Just like The Sun: I know who I believe in this argument.

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I subscribe to Google Alerts on some subjects dear to my heart, but none has warmed me as much as the alert I received today.

It was about a group of Hospice Volunteers at the Willow Wood shop in Denton who’d all shown their support for our Armed Forces by wearing Red last Friday. Hopefully they’ll remember tomorrow too!

It’s only a small act, but as I’ve spent a fair bit of time promoting the Red Fridays idea, I’m delighted to see it being referred to as a CAMPAIGN

Have you left a message at RedFridays, can you show support? Please do, it only takes a moment but means so much

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Experts can dissect his speech, his fightback moment so full of statistics and negativity towards other parties, but for me there is one statement in the speech that the PM will live to regret.

Whilst looking at Afghanistan and our military in only 3 paragraphs, he said:

“all British forces will always have
all the equipment they need
and the best support we can give.”

This is not just a bold statement, it is totally reckless as our needs are so significant: helicopters, more manpower (especially infantry and special forces), surveillance devices, reconnaissance vehicles as well as armoured protection to deal with the threat of IED’s. And yet there is no sign of any improvement in the planning or logistic processes to rectify these deficiencies. Nor is there money.

There is no possible way that the Government can stump up for everything to defeat an enemy that sets the agenda. The PM has made a commitment to our Armed Forces that he cannot deliver.

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The Soldiers are a a trio of serving soldiers who will release “Coming Home”  on 6 October with all funds raised going to support the Army Benevolent Fund.

Here’s a preview of their record.

Please tell your friends about this great cause.

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Reports today make it clear that it costs more to be a Serviceman in Wales than in England and Scotland.

Apparently Wales is the only part of the UK that does not allow a council tax rebate to servicemen who have both home properties and also service accommodation. There can only be 2 reasons for this situation: either it is a genuine error or it is done with intent.

If it is in error then I challenge the Welsh Assembly Government to fix this
in ONE WEEK.

If it is done deliberately, then I call on the person or persons responsible to be lined up for bayonet practice. Such a decision could only be described as morally abhorrent!

I feel a campaign coming on!

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It used to be the case that whenever the Sea Lords were asked to find some savings in the Naval budget the first saving to be offered, year after year was the Royal Yacht. This of course was a cute strategy as it was always met with an hurummphhh and cries of “What would Her Majesty think?”

Today we learn that Gordon Brown will say to the UN that Britain is willing to cut the number of Trident nuclear armed submarines from 4 to 3 as an act of controlling nuclear weapons. But truly: what is the point of such an offer?

To provide a nuclear deterrent, especially in ageing boats (they are boats not ships) is challenging and has always required some at sea, some in training, some in refit.  Total needed = 4. To reduce that number removes the credibility of the deterrent.

It’s more likely however that we are wrapping this offer in the nuclear debate really to save money. Despite all the hurummpphing, and whatever Her Majesty said, we decommissioned the Royal Yacht a few years ago and now need to save money with far bigger ticket items.  It’s a shame we can’t tell the truth about it though.

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