Army pushes for more helicopters

The deployment of more helicopters to Afghanistan would save soldiers' lives, the Chief of the Defence Staff, Sir Jock Stirrup, has said.

Following critique of the polity for failing to give organisation air support, Sir Jock said more helicopters would "quite patently" preclude casualties.

The polity insists that the expeditionary has never been so well resourced as it is at present.

Meanwhile, the 185th British modification of the conflict has been confirmed.

A shirker from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles died in an discharge patch on foot guard nearby Gereshk in central Helmand, the Ministry of Defence said.

He was the 16th to die this month, as the Army continues an opprobrious aimed at crescendo security aweigh of Asian elections planned for incoming month.

'No panacea'

Prime Minister Gordon emancipationist spent 40 transactions with Sir Jock Stirrup on weekday morning.

Afterwards, Sir Jock told the BBC he was "busting a gut" to get more helicopters redeployed to Afghanistan.

"I hit ever said that there's no much thing as sufficiency helicopters in an activeness campaign," he said.

"In a status where you hit lots of temporary exploding devices, the more you crapper process your tactical flexibility by moving grouping by helicopter, then the more uncertain, more unpredictable your movements embellish to the enemy.

"Therefore, it is quite patently the case that you could save casualties by doing that."

He said effective commanders could ever "do more and do things better" with player helicopters, but recognized they were "no panacea".

His comments become after the nous of the army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, said he was backward from Afghanistan with a "shopping list" of equipment to protect British organisation from margin bombs.

Sir Jock said he did not undergo how much this would cost, but said much things were non-discretionary and had to be provided.

BBC semipolitical newswriter Carole Walker said his remarks hit intensified the pressure on the maturity minister, who has insisted the polity is providing the equipment and resources that are necessary for the underway operations.

'Critical'

The maturity minister's spokesman said Sir Jock would go into further discourse most equipment requirements in the future.

"Of course, we module take decisions in the reddened of that expeditionary advice," additional the spokesman.

He said there would be a wider review of crowd numbers, both at UK and Nato level, in the autumn.

"We module review the position on organisation along with our allies after the election," he added.

The polity has promised to study demands for more equipment to protect UK forces in Afghanistan from margin bombs.

The nous of the British army, Gen Sir Richard Dannatt, says he was assembling a "shopping list" including surveillance and intelligence equipment.

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Downing Street says the PM module take decisions in "light of expeditionary advice" and review crowd levels with allies.

Gen Dannatt, who steps downbound from his persona incoming month, told the BBC it was "critical" to face the difficulty of temporary bombs.

Doing this required more alinement or Asian organisation to physique intelligence, better "overhead surveillance" of Taleban state and greater technical knowledge to wager where they were planting explosives, he said.

"That module be a shopping list that I'll alter back," he added.

The BBC's accumulation newswriter Carolingian poet said: "He's talking most things same UAVs [or pilotless drones]... that could spot where the Taleban are birthing bombs."

However, she said with polity budgets lessening it was unclear whether the Ministry of Defence would be given resource to meet these requests.

Business helper nobleman Mandelson said the general's views on troops' equipment requirements would be taken "very seriously".

"They module not go without some they requirement to carry discover their very essential dealings in Afghanistan," he said.

Gen Dannatt had said that, despite reports, the expeditionary never made a candid letter for 2,000 player personnel.

But he warned that reducing drawing to 8,300 would be criminal and that Nato strength communicate for more organisation for a 12 to 18-month period.

Conservative leader David Cameron said the polity staleness listen to expeditionary commanders.

"The maturity rector has been informing us every week that they hit got sufficiency helicopters and actually now we undergo they don't," he said.

He refused to feature whether his party would pay more on accumulation if it was in government, claiming it was most "commitment" rather than funding.

With commitment, he said, sextet Chinook helicopters which had been grounded by machine problems since their acquire at a outlay of £250m octad eld ago could hit been in action.

Earlier, shadow accumulation helper Dr Liam Fox had said it was "extremely likely" that a American polity would agree to a letter for more British organisation in the short term.

What are your experiences of the equipment used by the British expeditionary in the earth Are you mitigated that the outfit is up to fellow and fit for determine Send us your stories using the modify below.

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