British Soldiers And Their Wives Strip In Support Of Prince Harry

Military personnel have been showing their support for Prince Harry by posting pictures of themsleves performing nude salutes on the facebook site - 'Support Prince Harry with a naked salute!' Photo: Facebook

Army Anger As Troops Strip Naked In Support Of Prince Harry -- The Telegraph

Scores of soldiers and their wives are risking Army anger by stripping off and saluting to show support for Prince Harry.

Scores of soldiers and their wives are risking Army anger by stripping off and saluting to show support for Prince Harry, and posting the pictures on Facebook.

As our troops get naked to copy Army comrade Prince Harry's nude Vegas party pose, their wives and girlfriends are getting in on the act too.

They are borrowing their boys' uniforms and performing 'naked salutes' either totally nude or in varying states of undress.

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My Comment: A number of Facebook sites have opened up in support of Prince Harry .... so yup .... the soldiers and their wives are clearly restless.

The Collapse Of Morale In The British Military

Army Cuts Creating 'Gaps' And Leaving Soldiers Unsettled And Frustrated, Says Chief -- The Telegraph

Cuts in the Army are creating gaps and leaving soldiers unsettled and frustrated, the head of the service has warned.

General Sir Peter Wall, the Chief of the General Staff, said redundancies were starting to bite and also raised concerns that the quality of military accommodation was “not up to standard”. Cuts to pensions remains “one of the greatest concerns” in the Army, he added.

His intervention will raise questions about whether defence cuts are undermining morale in the Armed Forces.

It comes after warnings from commanding officers and serving soldiers about growing anxieties over the impact of defence cuts on the Forces. At the weekend, General Sir Michael Jackson, the former head of the Army, suggested that the severity of defence cuts meant Britain would not be able to reclaim the Falkland Islands if Argentina invaded again.

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My Comment: The U.K. defense budget "slash and burn policy" of this government and the previous Labor government is producing undesirable consequences. On top of the real fear that equipment and training will be short-changed thereby putting soldier's lives in danger in any future conflict, there is the legitimate concern that morale is now going into the toilet .... especially to those who now realize that having a career in the military is probably not going to happen.

The Future Is 'Gloomy' For British Soldiers

Our Future Is Gloomy, Says Soldier As Army Speaks Out For The First Time -- The Telegraph

British soldiers have spoken publicly for the first time about the impact of cuts to the Armed Forces, warning of a “gloomy” future due to redundancies.

With one in five soldiers in line to be cut, morale is said to be at an unprecedentedly low ebb, according to commanders.

The Armed Forces is to be cut by 20,000 soldiers, falling to 82,000 men before 2020, its lowest level since the Boer Wars in the late nineteenth century.

While spirits among soldiers on the front line in Afghanistan remain relatively high, those back home face pay caps, a freeze on accommodation upgrades, cuts for equipment programmes and possible redundancy.

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My Comment: So much for having a career in the military .... an impossible proposition for many who want one in the British military.

Ill Will Is Brewing In British Barracks

British troopsin Helmand Photo: Heathcliff O'Malley

Whitehall Take Note: Ill Will Is Brewing In The Barracks -- The Telegraph

A leaked memo suggests that wounded soldiers are more likely to be made redundant. It's only a matter of time before the dirty business of sacking soldiers impacts on the battlefield, says Thomas Harding, the Daily Telegraph's Defence Editor

Yesterday there was rapid back-tracking by the Army and politicians on precisely who or who was not going to be made redundant.

But what is very clear to those serving in the front line is that if they are wounded they are more than likely to be more vulnerable to the redundancy axe.

What this might mean to a soldier who has to risk his life daily is difficult to quantify, especially as it is now clear one in five will soon be without a job.

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My Comment: It is true that the "best of British youth" are in Afghanistan. But there is only so much "crap" that one can take, and for many front-line soldiers who see how their comrades are treated .... a breaking point will happen one day.

Can British Society Learn Lessons From The British Military?

Photo: Lord Dannatt, the ex-Chief of the General Staff, says that society could learn lessons from the military

New Recruits Lack Moral Compass As Family Life Crumbles, Warns Former Head Of The Army -- Daily Mail

* Armed Forces place as much importance on teaching morals as physical training, says Lord Dannatt
* People truggle to tell right and wrong after MPs' expenses scandals and rioting

Britain has lost its ‘moral compass’ and should look to the conduct of the Armed Forces to instill proper standards of decency, the former head of the Army argues today.

A series of scandals that have rocked the country are evidence people in the UK are struggling to differentiate between right and wrong, warns General Lord Richard Dannatt.

They include MPs shamelessly milking their taxpayer-funded expenses, phone hacking, bankers paying themselves obscene bonuses and the summer riots, he will explain.

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My Comment: Britain is very fortunate that its military has a long and noble tradition of respecting the country's institutions and it's constitution .... let's hope that this history continues.

And The Ministry Of Defense Wonders Why Morale Is Low In The British Army

Photo: Brave: Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, 23. The paratrooper was described by doctors as the most severely wounded British soldier ever to survive after a landmine explosion in Afghanistan left him with 37 injuries

Blown Up By The Enemy... And Now Cut Adrift By The Army They Love: The Wounded Servicemen Shattered By A Sense Of Betrayal -- Daily Mail

The list of his injuries is appalling; both legs gone, broken back, brain damage so severe that he was robbed of his short-term memory and, for a time, speech. What Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson has sacrificed serving his country is something that cannot be measured.

And through each step in his recovery, since the day a Taliban bomb exploded five years ago, Ben — like so many of his injured comrades — has been driven by one ambition: to return to the Army.

But Ben's dream was shattered last month when an official letter from the Army Medical Service Board dropped through his letterbox delivering the decision he feared the most. He was being recommended for medical discharge.

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My Comment: The Minister of Defense could change this .... but it appears that he has more pressing matters.

One Way To Raise Troop Morale

Forces sweetheart: Cheryl flew out to Afghanistan on Tuesday to visit British troops in the country

Fight For Our Boys! Forces' Sweetheart Cheryl Cole Dons Army Fatigues To Train With British Troops In Afghanistan

She donned a variety of camouflage-style outfits when she was promoting her debut single Fight For This Love.

But yesterday Cheryl Cole wore the army colours for a different reason, as she became the new forces' sweetheart while visiting British troops in Afghanistan.

The 28-year-old star flew out to Camp Bastion in the Helmand province on Tuesday night on a visit to mark 10 years of British operations in the country.

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My Comment: I have always enjoyed her music and choreography.

'Political Correctness' Invades The British Army

The special forces soldier, whose identity is being kept secret, has now left the Army in disgust at his treatment Photo: REUTERS

Court Martial Judge Questions Prosecution Of Soldier -- The Telegraph

A special forces soldier is being prosecuted for punching a member of the Taliban during an ambush in Afghanistan.

The corporal is being taken to a court martial accused of an offence already described as "minor" by a military judge - and despite the "victim" having no apparent interest in the trial.

Corporal X, whose identity is being kept secret because of his membership of the special forces unit, has now left the Army in disgust at his treatment, which came despite an umblemished record and glowing references from his superiors.

The case has raised concerns in the military that troops are being prosecuted needlessly to avoid any allegations of "cover ups".

My Comment: And the U.K. government in power is a "CONSERVATIVE" government. It is stories like this one that results in stories like this one.

Low Morale And Pending Cuts Results In A Massive Demand Of Officers Applying For Voluntary Redundancy

Right to leave: 1,000 of the Army’s brightest servicemen have applied for voluntary redundancy

Shock For Army As 1,000 Officers Apply For Voluntary Redundancy Due To Low Morale And Pending Cuts -- The Daily Mail

The armed forces have had an unexpected shock as the Army braces itself for a mass exodus of officers and soldiers.

One thousand of the Army’s brightest servicemen have applied for voluntary redundancy.

Army bosses originally asked for 500 servicemen to take voluntary redundancy, but have received more than 900 applications, according to figures obtained by The Daily Telegraph.

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My Comment: Everyone sees the handwriting on the wall .... and are getting out while the getting out is good.

Why Morale Is Low In The British Army

Stay in the mess: Troops will have to eat on base rather than get an allowance

Afghanistan Heroes Lose £12 Daily Food Allowance... But Top Brass Keep Theirs -- The Daily Mail

The Ministry of Defence was accused of double standards last night after it was revealed that military personnel at its Whitehall headquarters have retained a food allowance that has been axed for the rest of the Armed Forces.

Until now, thousands of servicemen and women have been paid a daily food allowance of £12.41 if they live alone in private accommodation outside their base.

But under cuts imposed as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, the perk has now been scrapped for those living within three miles of a garrison.

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My Comment: News like this never helps the morale in the ranks .... but with money being very short, I say be prepared for even more cuts.

Wounded Soldiers To Be Forced Out Of The U.K. Army

Photo: Press Association.

Wounded Soldiers To Be Forced Out Of The Army -- The Telegraph

Thousands of wounded soldiers could be forced out of the military on medical grounds after the Army's head of personnel ordered commanders to face up to the "harsh reality" of an efficiency drive.

Documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph detail how the Ministry of Defence is attempting to accelerate the discharge of soldiers who are medically unfit, including the majority of those who have lost their limbs in bomb explosions and roadside ambushes.

The efficiency drive has been ordered because the Army has so many wounded on its books that able-bodied recruits are being turned away and its fighting strength is being diminished.

A total of 6,600 soldiers, more than 6 per cent of the army, have been classified as unfit for operational deployment.

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Update: Injured troops face army discharge -- Press Association

My Comment: Use them until they cannot serve .... give them some money .... then kick them out. What a shitty policy. For many, the military is their home. Discharging them will only create depression and a loss of morale among many. While I understand that the military wants fit soldiers .... I say there has to be a better way.

The British Army Is Now Faced With Low Morale In The Ranks

Army Faces 'Tidal Wave Of Low Morale' -- BBC

An organisation representing military personnel and their families has warned of a tidal wave of low morale sweeping through the British Army.

The Army Families Federation says it has been inundated with outraged messages from all ranks over what it calls the attack on military allowances.


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More News On Why Morale is Low In The British Army

Service families losing faith in the military covenant -- The Telegraph
Legion chief slams covenant 'U-turn' -- Defence Management
MoD chief defends spending levels -- Press Association
MoD cites spending cuts in row over pension changes for armed forces -- The Guardian
Military morale: Your stories -- BBC

My Comment: The budget cuts are now starting to hurt .... and what makes it worse .... there will probably be more cuts in the future.

Is There A Morale Crisis In The British Army?

Photo: Sir David Richards has said cuts are damaging soldiers' morale. Photo from Press Association.

Top General Says Afghanistan Army In Morale Crisis -- Times Online

THE head of the army has warned that British troops are facing a crisis of deteriorating morale on the home front that risks undermining the war in Afghanistan.

In a confidential draft memo prepared for ministers, General Sir David Richards, chief of the general staff (CGS), said that recent cuts to the defence budget are having a “cumulative and corrosive effect on our soldiers and their families”.

Cuts to housing, shortages of training equipment and even the cancellation of sports events between soldiers’ tours of duty were making them and their families feel “undervalued”, the army chief wrote.

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More News On The "Morale Crisis" In The British Army

Troops in Afghanistan face defeat at home -- Times Online (opinion)
British troop morale at home risk to Afghan effort - Army chief -- Reuters
Cuts 'damaging morale of soldiers' -- Press Association
Leaked Memo: Troops' Morale Hurt By Cuts -- SKY News

My Comment: It is not only the budget cuts that is undermining morale, it is the lack of leadership and willingness to sacrifice from the PM on down .... that is hurting morale. Couple that with funding being freely administered to Al Qaeda preachers and supporters while British soldiers have problems obtaining financial support for their injuries and disabilities .... one should not be surprised that morale is in the gutter. Hell .... I am depressed just writing about this.

One More Reason Why There Is Low Morale In The U.K. Armed Forces

Photo taken from The Daily Mail

MoD Pays £2.4m To A Wounded Kosovan... EIGHTEEN Times What A British Soldier Got After Losing Both Legs -- The Daily Mail

A Kosovan who was mistakenly shot in the jaw by a British soldier has been awarded £2.4million compensation.

The huge sum is more than 200 times the amount available to a UK soldier suffering a similar injury in a battle.

Muhamed Bici was shot by a paratrooper in the Kosovan capital, Pristina, in 1999 as he and his friends drove around a building which British soldiers were guarding.

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My Comment: A double standard if there ever was one.