"the ministers choose the Chiefs of Staff". Then change that system! The Government may resent every pound spent on Defence, but then they can see that UK Defence is now poor value for money. The one good thing that Brown did was to cut loose the Bank of England. Maybe it is time to do the same with the selection of the Chiefs. "Yes Men" are no good for anyone, including those they say "Yes" to. The present system has degenerated into a hopeless quagmire. It has to be reformed at MOD and Senior Officer level of all three Armed Services, and that reform must start at the very top.