Harry Stephenson is right to praise the bravery of the armed forces in his letter dated 7 September, but he is wrong to accuse the government of neglecting its military. The UK is rightfully proud of punching above its weight in the international arena and events in Libya have proven, once again, that our forces are among the very best in the world.
We currently spend £35 billion on defence annually. By 2015 the government will still spend that amount of money. That means the UK has the fourth largest defence budget in the world.
There is an ongoing process to make sure that our armed forces remain at the highest possible level: streamlined and prepared for the challenges of the modern world. By the end of that process the UK will have a nuclear deterrent, a brand new fleet of submarines, a state-of-the-art aircraft carrier, new destroyers and new fighter jets.
The government is giving the British military the backing it needs and deserves. The prime minister is hugely proud of the job the armed forces did in Libya. In conjunction with Liam Fox at the ministry of defence, David Cameron will ensure that our forces are prepared for any challenges which may confront them in the future.