http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100005208/general-dannatt-is-right-%E2%80%93-britain-is-at-war/
There is much to commend in General Sir Richard Dannatt's address on Thursday to The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), his last speech before stepping down as Chief of the General Staff of the British Army. General Dannatt, who has been an outspoken critic of defence cuts and the Labour government's chronic underfunding of overseas military operations, delivered one of the most important speeches on British strategic thinking in the post 9/11 era.
It is not hard to see why Dannatt was ousted by a Prime Minister who has done more to weaken Britain's armed forces than any leader in modern times. His IISS speech contained none of the Miliband-like weak-kneed talk of cutting deals with the Taliban, or flowery discussion of how Britain should be advancing a ludicrous European defence identity with Brussels. Instead he offered a frank assessment of Britain's current military requirements if it is to retain its position as a global power as well as a strong reaffirmation of the Anglo-American Special Relationship. Refreshingly he didn't even mention the European Union once.
General Dannatt urged the forthcoming Strategic Defence Review to be "underpinned by a clearly defined view of Britain's global interests and our future global role":
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