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Unpopular wars undermine the army
Published 27 September 2007
Many British soldiers feel unease at what they were asked to do by the Blair government - it's not easy to fight and die for something many of your countrymen do not believe in
General Sir Richard Dannatt has established a reputation for being prepared to express the views of the British army on some of the most sensitive strategic challenges our country faces. He has repeatedly given interviews on how the Iraq War has stretched the armed forces to breaking point, berated the postal service for charging soldiers and their families for parcels sent to or from Afghanistan, and described Iraq as a nationally unpopular war. He has spoken with a candour that no previous soldier of his rank has matched.
In a speech on 21 September, at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, Dannatt expanded on his fear that the unpopularity of the wars our soldiers are fighting is affecting how they are seen at home. "Soldiers are genuinely concerned when they come back from Iraq to hear the population that sent them being occasionally dismissive or indifferent about their achievements," he said. "We are in danger of sapping our volunteer army's willingness to serve in such an atmosphere again."
No politicians have dared rein in the outspoken general, probably because they had not begun to think about how to address these issues. After his recent speech, however, it was noticeable that they were quick to respond. The Defence Secretary, Des Browne, announced that troops serving in the Iraq and Afghan wars will be given a discount on their council tax and pledged an extra £80m to improve army accommodation. At the Labour party conference on Tuesday, David Miliband conceded that "while we've won the wars, it's been harder to win the peace". "Four times we've sent young men and women to fight for our values . . ." said the Foreign Secretary, "and we cannot forget their bravery and their sacrifice."
Perhaps someone else in the government will now take up Dannatt's ideas on how the country could show appreciation for returning soldiers: councils to arrange American-style welcome-home parades, football clubs to give free tickets to soldiers who have served in Iraq or Afghan istan for more than six months. "Soldiers need to know they are respected for their acts of selflessness and courage," he said pointedly.
Dannatt held up the United States as the exemplary benchmark of how soldiers returning from Iraq are treated, but this is misleading. The critical difference is that the whole of the US, including politicians and the media, was strongly in favour of invading Iraq. This was not the case in Britain, and the passionate divisions about the war were reflected in the ranks.
Immediately after the fall of Baghdad I took part in a debriefing at the BBC with two other correspondents embedded with the British and US forces. My colleague with the Royal Marines described how, when notice came that the invasion was to go ahead, everyone in the unit talked about what they had just been asked to do by the poli ticians. Opinion among the marines, including officers, was divided along three lines.
One-third thought that, with or without international backing or a second UN resolution, they were doing the right thing. Another third were very troubled by the lack of international support and worried that the weapons inspectors had not been given enough time - but they would be relieved if they got a decent welcome from ordinary Iraqis when they went in. The final third thought they were being asked to be America's poodle; some of them openly described Tony Blair as a warmonger and believed that the WMDs issue was a smokescreen. The US marines I met the day Baghdad fell were different. They believed they were there to "get the terrorists". Some of them genuinely thought they were in Iraq to stop another 9/11.
The point is that many British soldiers feel unease at what they were asked to do by the Blair government. It cannot be an easy thing to fight and die for something many of your countrymen do not believe in, but that is the plight the armed forces find themselves in.
I doubt there will be ticker-tape parades for returning service personnel throughout the country. Having heard some of the forces' private opinions about government policy in Iraq and Afghanistan, I suspect that many of them don't expect parades, either.
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