(Con): My Lords, I have been involved with the Ministry
of Defence since the Falklands War. Celebrating the 70th
anniversary of NATO is more than justified. It has proved
resilient because it has the strength and confidence that, as has
just been said, are the embodiment of shared interests and
values. NATO has worked because Europe and North America are
strongly united by far more than what divides them. The UK is
stronger and more confident because of our membership of NATO. As
has already been stated, most military alliances do not last more
than 15 years on average, and we should not agonise about or be
surprised by pressure points or the occasional twist and turn...
(Lab):...Sadly, it tends to take a war to change the
political and national interest in defence. There is no doubt
that insufficient investment, both in intellectual understanding
of the world in which we live—its relationship to our national
grand strategy—and necessary defence funding, make war more
likely. A splendid example of this is that 37 years ago today,
the Argentinians invaded the Falkland Islands. The fact that
there was tension down there was well above the radar horizon,
but we were not focused on it. We withdrew HMS “Endurance” for a
saving of £16 million, in what in those days were called the
long-term costings. What did that cost our nation in terms of
getting defence wrong? It cost us £3.5 billion, and 300 men
killed, so debates such as this are crucial...
To read the whole debate, CLICK
HERE
