This is a headline being trumpeted by the Telegraph. Judging by some of the quotes in the article it’s a fairly mild clash. Military rebellion isn’t just around the corner. The PM can sleep comfortably in his bed without fear of a visit by the SAS or whoever is currently tasked with what the KGB used to refer to as “wet work”.
The substance of the “military chiefs” concerns is entirely reasonable but the public airing of them is not. These disagreements should be resolved in private. Making them public suggests that the service chiefs are entering the political arena, one they should and must keep clear of.
Once serving generals become political our trust in their neutrality and objective reasoning withers. Unlike places like Libya we live in a democracy where war is an extension of policy by other means, not a way of life. The government makes the decisions and where necessary the military acts. My country right or wrong – that is one of the facets of the Faustian Bargain entered into by all warriors. And besides generals, admirals and air marshals make great military leaders but usually lousy politicians (The Duke of Wellington notwithstanding).
Now before you dismiss me as a bleeding heart liberal I would remind you that I am one of the greatest supporters of the military having been a soldier and an airman too. In fact my friends ridicule me for it. But I am an even fiercer democrat by instinct.
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