UK Defense minister “sick and tired of journalists and armchair generals” talking our military are ‘unprepared’
Key takeaways
- Minister Pollard said there were far too many people from outside defense that are wanting to take potshots.
- Mr Pollard added that he did not accept claims the military was not ready for war, instead deflecting to familiar rhetoric that his party had inherited a hollowed-out and underfunded Armed Forces.
- I've got a lot of time for George Robertson, he said.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
In a contradictory remark he would later retract, UK Defense Readiness & Industry Minister Luke Pollard said he was sick and tired of journalists and armchair generals talking down the military, as he was pressed in response to a BFBS Forces News audience poll.
Minister Pollard said there were far too many people from outside defense that are wanting to take potshots. The survey, which asked if public remarks about the military being underprepared had negatively impacted morale among serving personnel, saw 86% out of roughly 2,900 respondents say they had.
Mr Pollard added that he did not accept claims the military was not ready for war, instead deflecting to familiar rhetoric that his party had inherited a hollowed-out and underfunded Armed Forces.