CAROL Jones is in no doubt that money can play a part in saving soldiers' lives.
Her son, Sergeant John Jones, was killed in Basra in 2005 when the Snatch Land Rover in which he was travelling was hit by a bomb. The 31-year-old also left a wife, Nickie, and a seven-year-old son, Jack.
Carol channelled her grief into anger and
is now campaigning to get the Snatch Land Rovers withdrawn from active service and replaced by new, heavily armoured vehicles that can better withstand roadside blasts.
"We're trying to get it over to the Ministry of Defence that they may as well have sent them out on quad bikes without a helmet because they are no good for the job they are doing. They say they are bringing out a new vehicle but it still isn't in service."
She added: "It's always about money with the MoD. That's the first thing they say: 'We can't do everything'."
As we reveal today, MPs will next week deliver a damning verdict on MoD funding. The bottom line is that the Treasury has underfunded the frontline budget, say critics.
Matthew Smith, Jane's Defence Weekly defence economics analyst, said: "The higher operational tempo in Iraq and Afghanistan is very expensive and requires additional finances because equipment is used at a vastly higher rate. Although some resources will come from the Treasury, it impacts on the MoD."
Military commentator Stuart Crawford said:
"The Prime Minister and the Government must look at itself and say what sort of military power do we want to be? Do we want to spend the big bucks to be a world power or are we prepared to be a regional power with an emphasis on regional and peace-keeping duties?"
Housing for the armed forces and their families is another area which critics say has been badly under-funded.
Melanie Pullan, of the Army Families Federation said:
"There's been a lack of funding for decades and I remain cynical when I hear that the MoD is putting more money into improving housing."
The MoD said it was making progress on improving its 71,000 family properties and 160,000 bed spaces.
On equipment generally an MoD spokesman said: "Commanders get everything they need for the frontline – the cost of operations is funded from the Treasury's special reserve and we have always made it clear that the MoD and wider government is committed to providing all the resources commanders need."
The full article contains 421 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
