Navy Chief: Britain Can’t Afford to Continue Libya War

Blames Military Spending Cuts for Struggling War Effort

Speaking today British Naval leader Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope warned that he was uncomfortable continuing Britain’s involvement in the War in Libya for more than another three months, saying that the military simply cannot afford its continuation.

Sir Mark’s comments appear to be aimed at rebuking the British government for major cuts in military spending, focusing on the Harriet Jump Jet and other weapons, which the military scrapped as too expensive, as just one of the weapons that might’ve been used if Britain still had them.

Yet the comments may fuel a growing debate in Britain about the nation’s involvement in what was supposed to be a humanitarian no-fly zone and has increasingly become an endless war aimed at regime change. A war with no end in sight and which Britain cannot afford.

Sir Mark said the cuts and the pressures of foreign intervention had done serious harm to naval morale. He urged the government to “make some challenging decisions” instead of simply “giving up standing commitments.”

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.