So what if the insurgents know he's in theatre? It's too late to worry about that now. The application of half-decent OPSEC would mean that the insurgents would have no idea where he is at any particular time, and they should therefore be unable to tgt him specifically. However, they are already ramping up their activity again, and that's nothing to do with Prince Harry.
Didn't Napoleon say something alnong the lines of: 'the moral is to the physical as 10 is to 1'? This issue is about political will and moral courage. If the insurgents can dissuade our leaders (through our own media
) from sending Harry because they are afraid of the political consequences of his death or wounding in action, the insurgents will score a major propaganda victory. More seriously still, they will prove that we do not have the moral wherewithal to defeat, or even control, the insurgency.
If the Government and Service Chiefs want the British Armed Forces to be taken seriously in future, they must prove that they have the will to win and determination to fight this war properly. We've already suffered numerous setbacks in this area, most recently through the capture and release of Cornwall's boarding party. Our reputation for military effectiveness and determination is an intangible, but nevertheless priceless, asset - one which is worth real sacrifice to retain.
An officer's men are, indeed, one of his highest priorities - but not his highest. In war, winning is the highest priority - and it is utterly peurile to suppose that winning can be achieved at no cost. In the case at hand, winning back some our tattered reputation is what matters, and that can be achieved here by showing that we are prepared to pay the butcher's bill.
That's what I think, anyway.
BM