Defence chief: Keep women off the front line

The outgoing Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Charles Guthrie has delivered a final warning against opening up frontline combat roles to women soldiers.

He used his last public speaking engagement before stepping down at the end of the week to speak out against "the perils of going slavishly down the route of political correctness for its own sake".

As he has approached retirement, General Guthrie has been increasingly vocal in expressing publicly his reservations about women serving in close combat situations.

The Army is currently carrying out an assessment of the suitability of women for frontline combat fighting, with the results due to be presented to ministers this spring.

General Guthrie, delivering the Liddell Hart lecture last night at King's College, London, said that the Chiefs of Staff would make their final recommendation on the basis of what was right for the forces' operational capability.

"I am not sure that the nation is ready for such a step yet, but from my perspective we must ensure that nothing, I repeat nothing, damages the combat effectiveness of the British armed forces," he said.

"We have to advise what will work when the conditions are tough, dangerous and frightening. We are not in the business of designing armed forces only for ceremonial duties or the good times.

"When the time comes, if the Chiefs of Staff advice upsets those who seek equality as an end in itself, then so be it."

Despite General Guthrie's continuing defiance, senior Army officers are reported to be resigned to women being allowed to serve in frontline combat. They are said to be resting their hopes on maintaining strict tests for battlefield fitness.

General Guthrie also cautioned against combining the forces into a single service. While he acknowledged the growing importance of joint operations, he said it could be "harmful" to end the services' individual identities.

"People, who are our lifeblood, want to join the Naval Service, the Army or the Royal Air Force - not some faceless combined force," he said.

"Ethos, esprit de corps, morale are vitally important to fighting men and we erode this at our peril."

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