Defending the realm

IT’S highly unusual for a serving Chief of the General Staff to stray into the political arena. So General Sir Nick Carter’s public warning that lack of funding means Britain’s Armed Forces are struggling to keep up with potential adversaries should be taken extremely seriously.

He is worried about the evolving threat from Russia, but also warns about the military having enough resources to meet existing commitments. ‘We cannot afford to sit back,’ he said.

Our armed services are revered around the world. But after years of cutbacks, they are stretched to the very limit. Yes, money is tight and all Government departments are having to do more with less.

But the state’s first duty is to protect its people. If money can’t be found elsewhere, there’s an obvious solution: Take it from our absurdly bloated foreign aid budget.