Another Senior Officer Quits the Army Amid Anger Over Cuts

The resignation of one of the army’s most experienced and decorated special forces officers follows his outspoken criticism of the government for failing to provide enough troops and equipment is a bitter blow. Brig Ed Butler, a former commander of 22 SAS, is the most senior of three key commanders to have resigned in the past year amid widespread anger over lack of funding and his resignation came in the same week that Gen Sir Richard Dannatt, the head of the army, called for better treatment for the forces and more money to be spent on defence.

In a carefully worded statement issued through the Ministry of Defence, Butler said he was quitting for “a number of factors and reasons” but he specifically referred to the “well known constraints and restraints”. Butler praised the “extraordinarily brave men and women” who repeatedly did their job well despite those problems, saying that the country owed them “a huge debt of gratitude”. There is no doubt that a whole layer of middle-ranking officers will be hit hard by this. “It is difficult to explain,” one told me. “But because Butler was so well respected and was such a strong leader the fact that he has resigned has unnerved people.”

The MoD will continue to insist that this was “not a protest vote”. But friends described Butler as being “disappointed” that the government put soldiers’ lives at risk by failing to pay for sufficient troops and equipment. "He was very frustrated at the cuts going on in the Army at present,” one close associate said. Butler was widely expected to become the next Director Special Forces, friends said. But the job was recently upgraded to a major-general’s post and his outspokenness had held up his promotion. It is worthwhile pointing out that Butler, who led the first British deployment to southern Afghanistan in 2006, said he decided to quit after six months of “discussion and deliberation”.

It was six months ago that the board of inquiry into the death of Capt Jim Philippson, the first British soldier to die in action in Helmand province reported. It was highly damning of the failure to provide troops and kit and crucially it cited a key passage in Butler’s post-operational report into the operations in Afghanistan. Scrupulously loyal in public, Butler was too honest not to criticise the government in private. His report blamed the then Defence Secretary John Reid and Gordon Brown’s Treasury for failing to provide funds for vital new equipment. Reid’s strict limit of 3,150 troops was based on "apparently best case rather than most likely or worst case planning assumptions”, and took little account of Taliban plans, Butler wrote. The refusal of the MoD and the Treasury to provide funds in time meant that “many key items of equipment arrived in theatre late and some even failed” to arrive at all, he said.

The Afghan deployment was also hampered by the insistence of President Hamid Karzai and US commanders that Butler’s limited number of troops defend four government bases in northern Helmand. Butler, who had planned to build up security around the capital Lashkar Gah to allow development to go ahead, found that his men were tied down under siege in Sangin and Musa Qala. Accused by some British commanders of being too aggressive, he was then criticised by the Americans for negotiating a truce with local leaders at Musa Qala.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t sums up the situation of those senior officers angry over what is going on in our armed forces. Butler is a 48-year-old old Etonian whose special forces career during the 1991 Gulf War, in Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan had him marked down for great things. The son of a former Conservative Northern Ireland and Defence Minister, he is also the grandson of Richard “Rab” Butler, the former Tory Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Home Secretary.

His honours and awards say it all. Butler was Mentioned in Despatches in Northern Ireland in 1991; made a Member of the British Empire in Bosnia in 1997; received a Queens Commendation for Valuble Service (QCVS) in Bosnia in 1998; appointed Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in Iraq in 2003; received a second QCVS in Sierra Leone in 2005; appointed DSO for a second time in Afghanistan in 2005 and made a Commander of the British Empire for his command of British troops in Afghanistan in 2006. The army has lost one of its brightest and best, yet another example of how this government is destroying our armed forces.

Comments

[amanfromMars]

There is absolutely nothing to stop "special forces" leading the markets and cornering global money supply ..... which would solve more than just a few outstanding problems. All it takes is a little more than just Stirling Savvy than is normal.

Cometh the Time, cometh the Men.

cc Joint Task Force Headquarters

[William29]

I have said before that this is wanton destruction. For those of us who have lost a partner to a long and painful illness - watching helplessly as the one you love fights the unwinnable fight with courage - this in its own way is like that, one of the loves of my life is being slaughtered before my eyes and yet again I feel helpless.
Loyalty and service are now considered foolish concepts, grab what you can and live off the toil of others. Incompetence and graft are accepted as the norm. Soton council are raising money to erect a Spitfire memorial, Gordon has got himself involved "we must remember those brave people" - I will refrain from comment - anger is not an emotion conducive too good judgement.

[Kenneth O'Boyle]

Once again we see the skulduggery of the MOD bean counters ,another fine Officer resigns because of the lack of equipment and funds to fight these wars.People like Brig Butler are a rare commodity we just cannot afford to lose them.Something at the MOD STINKS.

[Adrian Peirson]

It's deliberate, the Lib Lab Cons are all part of the EU Project, which is Corrupt, 80% of it's Budget is unnacounted for, it has not had its accounts signed off for 13 yrs.
It represents a Treasonous transfer of soveriegnty, it has been voted out by both France and Holland.

Kick the door in Generals let's get our country back.

[Ed08]

I have had the privilege of serving as a member of Brigadier Ed's staff and he will be a huge loss to the Army. People like Brigadier Ed, Richard Williams and Stuart Tootal don't just leave unless there is something seriously wrong. It appears that leadership counts for nothing these days just an ability to suck up to politicians. Stop blaming the MOD and start blaming the sycophantic senior officers (there are many more like Jackson!) who are more concerned with their next easy job than the soldiers under their command. For too long too many people in the military have been bending over and accepting cutbacks but now officers and soldiers who are facing the reality of cuts at the tactical level are voting with their feet. Will someone please look and highlight the retention issues that the Army is facing? Coupled with the growing casualty's from Iraq and Afghanistan there won't be an Army left to deploy in 10 years time.

[william29]

Replacements on the way ? I see today 19 June 08 that the Army is advertising for - Lawyers - With such inducements as - advising units whilst on active service and at home. In the rank of Captain. Political commissars next ?