Another article in The Times today.
Don’t eviscerate armed forces, warns ex-military chief Lord Stirrup
Intro
The armed forces must not be “eviscerated” as the government attempts to recover from the economic fallout of the coronavirus, a former chief of the defence staff has warned. Air Chief Marshal Lord Stirrup said the armed forces must not be seen as an “easy option” for cuts. Official figures revealed last week that the crisis had taken national debt above £2 trillion for the first time.
There are concerns that troop numbers could be heavily cut and airbases could be closed as part of the defence and security review, with money instead being directed into cyberwarfare, space and
artificial intelligence.
Lord Stirrup said: “It’s a concern that the size of all of the armed forces has been dropping. While their capabilities have been increasing you can’t be in two places at once. If you are too small the scale of what you are able to achieve becomes strictly limited.