Armed Forces Day - A Time to Reflect on How to Support Our Troops

3.41.48pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 30th Jun 2009

Following Armed Forces Day on Saturday 27th June 2009, Sarah Carr, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Hereford and South Herefordshire is supporting five priorities the Government must meet to better support Britain's service men and women. Sarah Carr said:

"We must never forget the enormous sacrifices which our service men and women make on our behalf every day. Armed Forces Day is a chance to show our gratitude, but also to reflect on how we can best support our troops. On Friday evening (26th June) I was delighted to attend Hereford's St Paul's Primary School Armed Forces Summer Fun Evening where families were treated to a flypast from a Spitfire.

"Our troops and their families must get the support they need. As a result at a national level I am supporting Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats in setting out five priorities Gordon Brown must meet.

"First, our forces in Afghanistan need a strategy they can believe in. If military commanders need more troops for this operation, they should have them. We must not ask them to do this difficult job without committing the resources they need to do it properly.

"Second, we need our front line troops to have the helicopters and armoured vehicles they so desperately need. Progress on replacing the poorly armoured Snatch Land Rovers has been painfully slow, and British forces are still desperately short of the helicopters that fighting in Afghanistan requires.

"Third, the Government must provide decent housing for forces families. For too long families whose loved ones are risking their lives abroad have been rewarded with disgracefully substandard housing.

"Fourth, there needs to be a much greater emphasis on providing the best physical and mental healthcare for both serving personnel and veterans. Our troops are under greater strain now than they have been for decades, yet too often they don't get the help they need.

"Fifth, we urgently need a Strategic Security and Defence Review to ensure our forces can fight the wars we face today and tomorrow, not the Cold War conflicts of the past. The way we treat our service personnel must be at the heart of this review."