Letter: A losing battle

Fair enough, if Britain is about to be over-run and the last ditch defence of British territory is at stake, by all means the Ministry of Defence (MoD) should be allowed to claim Crown "combat immunity" to protect itself against claims of poorly equipping troops (your report, 10 May).

But the wars we have fought in recent years have been discretionary wars - wars we did not have to, but chose to, fight. To enter such conflicts when our troops don't have the right kit, and to continue fighting them on the cheap, is utterly immoral.

The banking crisis demonstrated funding can be found if the government thinks the political priority is high enough. Were the laws of corporate manslaughter changed, to prevent the MoD and government squirming out of their "duty of care to soldiers in the heat of battle", a step change would occur in the quality of British military strategy and tactics, and the casualty figures in Afghanistan would plummet almost overnight.

How do I know ? Because a similar improvement in safety standards occurred when the MoD's peacetime immunity was repealed in 1987.

(Dr) MARK CAMPBELL-RODDIS

Pont Crescent

Dunblane, Perthshire