Noises off, officers

David Cameron is caught between a rock and a hard place. His government is rightly committed to its AfPak policy and the need to keep ties with the United States strong and close. But the Prime Minister and his aides probably also know that the assessments offered by a number of senior military officers of the campaign are rose-tinted, and suspect that the US administration may pivot and head for the exit far quicker than is comfortable for its allies. This is a tough choice; a wrong move could damage transatlantic ties and set back the fight against Jihadism. Staying the course will mean greater opposition from both Right and Left.
 
Unhelpfully, the government is also beginning to see signs of the kind of sniping from the Army that beset the Labour government. Writing in The Times, ex-officer Alan Mallinson lays into the Chief of the Defence Staff, Sir Jock Stirrup, arguing that as an RAF officer he cannot possibly understand a land war.