Leave the Forces alone

SIR – I was interested to read Brian Tordoff’s letter (February 11) concerning the amalgamation of Britain’s Armed Forces.

In 1976 I was posted to Canada for two and a half years on an exchange tour with the Canadian Armed Forces, as a pilot with a Canadian maritime patrol squadron. This was eight years after they had united all their services. The amalgamation was very unpopular, and the senior politicians and serving officers who spoke to us admitted it had been a mistake, and that the British model of a unified Ministry of Defence, with individual services retaining their own structure, ethos and traditions, was by far the best option. Only cost, apparently, stopped the reversal of the decision.

By 2011 the economic situation in Canada had obviously improved. The government changed the name of Air Command to the original name: the Royal Canadian Air Force. Maritime Command reverted to the Royal Canadian Navy, and Land Command became the Canadian Army once again. All are under a centralised defence department. The change was made “to better reflect Canada’s military heritage and align Canada with other key Commonwealth countries whose military units use the royal designation”.

Our services are under constant threat from penny-pinchers who want to reduce the military without reducing its tasks, and without losing political status on the world stage. We would do best to leave well alone.

Sqn Ldr P R Bruce RAF (retd) Sleaford, Lincolnshire