Ministers chum, new Army chief General Sir David Richards

[TonyGosling]

Nato general to take UK’s top army post


General Sir David Richards during one of those 'what have I done' moments. Panellist at Canadian organised 'Rebuilding the Peace in Afghanistan' Roundtable.

By James Blitz in London

Published: October 18 2008 03:50
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9485ccea-9c99-11dd-a42e-000077b07658.html
Last updated: October 18 2008 03:50

Ministers have appointed a new army leader whose highly successful track record strengthens the cards in his hand, as he faces the inevitable political games of being the future Chief of General Staff.

General Sir David Richards, former commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, will take over the top post from General Sir Richard Dannatt.

“The politicians will have to be careful if they get annoyed with him,” said Michael Clarke, director of the Royal United Services Institute in London. “After all, he has had operational commands in Sierra Leone and Afghanistan, which have been clear successes as far as the military and the public are concerned.”

As Nato’s Afghanistan commander in 2006 and 2007, he was the first Briton to command US troops since the second world war. He was widely praised for expanding Nato’s operations into the south.

The general also served with distinction in Sierra Leone and East Timor, and is more experienced than any other senior British commander at responding to guerrilla insurgencies.

The army’s top job has proved extremely challenging in recent years. Gen Dannatt came into open conflict with Tony Blair’s government, when he said the army was severely overstretched by demands that it should fight in Iraq and Afghanistan simultaneously.

Gen Richards, who will assume his role next summer, is seen by one defence expert as “more political than Dannatt” and “likely to get on better with ministers than his predecessor”. But he has also been outspoken on issues such as poor conditions for service personnel.

In Afghanistan, Gen Richards is said by some analysts to have been privately exasperated by a shortage of military resources. “He felt that he had spelt out clearly what the challenges were, but did not feel that Nato or the UK gave him the support he needed,” said one.

Yet the general made clear this week he thought the war winnable – although he said the allies may need to focus more on “reconstruction, development and governance” than in the past.

Gen Richards said “there is a case for more troops” to be sent to Afghanistan, in particular because the country is due to hold elections next year. However, he also said the additional troops “don’t all have to come by any means from the UK”.

[nrmis]

Army Chief: We'll Never Defeat Al Qaeda
SkyNews - Sunday, 06:10 pm
The head of Britain's Armed Forces and former corporate spin whore General Sir David Richards has warned the West will never defeat al Qaeda - and suggested Prince Harry may return to Afghanistan.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20101114/video/vuk-army-chief-we-ll-never-d efeat-al-qae-37e89e1.html

[TonyGosling]

Richards has done a U-Turn since about a year ago before the UK General election then!

War in Afghanistan is winnable : Gen.David Richards
Posted by Mc Parry on October 19th, 2009
LONDON - Britain and its international partners have the “strategy and resolve” to win the military campaign in Afghanistan even if it may take a number of years, the British army’s new commander said on Monday.
General David Richards, who took over as chief of the general staff in August, wrote in a letter to the Telegraph that military success would be reached when the Afghans could take on the Taliban without international help.
Richards also wrote that Britain had to do better to convince its public about the need for a military presence when the death toll was rising. “We will have achieved military success when the Afghans can sustain the fight without our help,” he wrote.
“Although it will take a few years to reach that point, the campaign is winnable and we, and our Afghan and international partners, have the strategy and resolve to see it through.”
http://www.armybase.us/2009/10/war-in-afghanistan-is-winnable-gen-davi d-richards/

[scienceplease 2]

[scienceplease 2]

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