Afstan: British general resigns

There appear to be tensions between senior US military figures and top civilians (but Gen. McChrystal has said he has "not considered resigning at all"), and ditto in the UK (see end of this post regarding both countries). Now a British Army general with considerable Afghan experience has thrown in the towel:

Afghan critic quits top Army role
Leading general stands down just months after landing new UK command

A senior commander who led British troops in Afghanistan has resigned after bitter clashes with the Government over the war.

Major-General Andrew Mackay, recently appointed General Officer commanding Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England, had spoken of his dismay at the "inadequate support" given to troops and the "lack of clear policy" in the conflict.

General Mackay took part in one of the best known military operations of the war when he led a British, US and Afghan force to recapture the town of Musa Qala from the Taliban. The US had been highly critical when the town was taken over by insurgents after a deal between British authorities and local leaders, and retaking the town was seen as vital in repairing relations with Washington.

According to defence sources, General Mackay, then a brigadier, was astonished when it was suggested by No 10 that the timing of the operation should coincide with a visit by Gordon Brown to Helmand. After the town was retaken General Mackay and his team were said to be disappointed that despite requests from "stabilisation advisers" on the ground, not enough resources were put into place to win the hearts and minds of the people...

The commander was disillusioned with what he considered to be a failure to carry out adequate reconstruction and development in Helmand. He had said privately that British soldiers risking their lives in the conflict had been let down by the Government in carrying out the vital tasks necessary to win over the local population...

General Mackay was commander of Task Force Helmand from October 2007 until April 2008. During that time he signed a "ground truth" memorandum, sent to London, which listed serious problems with his troops' equipment. He pointed out that the engines were faulty in many of the ageing Scimitar reconnaissance tanks ["vehicle", not tank] of the Household Cavalry. Tanks which were supposed to be operational could not get into reverse gear without the engine being restarted. A quarter of the Mastiff armoured vehicles were out of action for weeks and the new Vector vehicles were not being used because "the wheels kept falling off".

The commander angered Downing Street by stating that he was astonished by the lack of clear direction at the top. There was, he said, a sense of "making it up as we go along"...