Retired Major-General says war in Afghanistan 'a costly waste of time'
A RETIRED major-general has labelled the Afghanistan war as being a "complete waste of time".
Major-General Julian Thompson, who commanded thousands of Plymouth commandos during the Falklands conflict, was speaking amid speculation surrounding the outcome of the Government's Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).
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The review, expected in the autumn, will undoubtedly see the armed forces further stripped back, with many believing the Royal Navy will be widely hit again.
Major-General Thompson (pictured) urged the Government to look at the long-term instead of the short, and think about what it committed its troops to.
"You cannot guess what tomorrow's threat is going to be," said Major-General Thompson, who in 2007 told The Herald that he considered the Iraq war to be a "mistake" which should never have happened.
"No one has a clue. There are wars of choice and wars of necessity.
"Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo are, and have been, wars of choice.
"If you have to save money, you cannot just pull out, you don't get involved in these things in the future. They are proving to be largely expensive and a complete waste of time.
"Decisions taken in the SDSR will impinge on our ability to fight wars for the next 50 years — not just for the next decade, as some commentators appear to believe."
In a letter to The Herald, he said he believed the RAF should be "abolished", and its aircraft divided between the Royal Navy and the Army.
He highlighted two examples of "potential" conflicts which would require a maritime force (Royal Navy and Royal Marines) to counteract.
"Argentina, encouraged by reductions in British maritime power, invades the Falkland Islands," he said.
"The only possible way of taking these islands back would again be by a maritime and amphibious operation."
He also predicted that the Israelis would strike Iranian nuclear facilities, which he believed would probably see the Iranians react by attempting to close the Straits of Hormuz.
"This will be a maritime war waged to ensure the flow of oil not only for the survival of British, European and US industry, but of our way of life itself," he said.
"The Iranians could deploy miniature submarines (provided courtesy of North Korea and tested recently against the South Korean Navy), sea mines, fast patrol craft, missiles, and aircraft.
"There will be a need for maritime assets to counter these including: mine counter-measure vessels, missile and gun-armed warships, carriers to launch air strikes, anti-submarine vessels, and surface and sub-surface launched cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles."
Major-General Thompson said he believed that after the publishing of the SDSR, if one service won the argument at the expense of others, British defence would be "severely" damaged.
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by maggie, plymouth
Sunday, July 25 2010, 4:41PM
“to be honest with you it makes me sick to think of our men over there paying with there lives and the goverment have even now taken away the free swim for kids at the end of this mounth to no dout help fund more lives lost cos it sure aint going to help our very very brave lads and ladies so much respect for you all you men and ladies doing such a great job under so much preasure lots of love all the best wishes from everyone in plymouth x0x0x0x0x0x”
by mark, torbay
Friday, July 23 2010, 8:19PM
“tell us something we don't already know. but you cannot deny the white man does have a history of driving native people of their land and robbing them of their culture. that is exactly what we are doing to afghans only in modern ways. the thing many people never mention though is that afghans get hurt and killed through this war and they have the same rights as a soldier in a costume and with a gun. in the future we will remember yesterday when we fought these stupid wars wearing costumes and holding guns pointed at one another. nows the time to change history and take off these costumes and throw away these worthless weapons. instead we could be drinking tea together and helping an elderly ladies cat out of a tree or something much nicer than hating each other. stop hating”
by Dr Schizo, pakistan
Friday, July 23 2010, 5:43PM
“Errh lets move on from the Falklands and get into the real world.. I was there in 82....2001/02 Afghanistan as well and the bottom line is whatever happens the Taliban and the tribal influence about foreigners on there soil willl NEVER EVER go away especially in rural locations!!....Drawdown in 2014.. get the lads out !!! and theres even a no brainer of sending (a secret proposal) the UN in (laughable) 2014 they will get hammered.
The Afghans security forces are riddled with corruption sadly a common trait and Afghanis play both sides of the coin.....Remember ""you can rent an Afghan but you will never buy one""!
Solution.....more Reapers and predators along with cyber satellite monitoring and detection and more offshore neutralization....saving lives....having boots on the ground ...means more casualties on the American blood train to which the UK is a passenger...........fact
To beat a network you have to build a network......and thats how it worked in Iraq yep there again 2003-09...and Mc Chrystal was the author of targeting the AQ and insurgents within the Deathstar and then they sack him because some journo from Rolling Stones mag stitched him up after the comments made after a few beers.... after all then progress he made.....Obamas biggest mistake..............no im not a journo far from it...but someone with an opinion having seeing many MOD MANDARINS mess it up...........”
by sceptic, plymouth
Friday, July 23 2010, 3:31PM
“google: afghan oil pipeline ... thats what its all REALLY about ...”
by Mick, Barbican
Friday, July 23 2010, 1:37PM
“Thompson quote- "Argentina, encouraged by reductions in British maritime power, invades the Falkland Islands"
They wouldn't dare try if Britain invited the Americans to set up a military base there.”