Would it have made any difference at all if any other party was in power?
No - not even a little bit.
All the parties treat the armed Forces the same. Some of them are better at playing the 'We Are really Big Mates of the Armed Forces' card.
The point of supporting the Armed forces is not just to make sure they have lovely smart clothes and guns an' stuff but to make sure that via policies over a number of years that you only have to use them as a last resort.
So where should we start laying the blame then?