Afghanistan - Duchess of York to fill helicopter shortfall with "Budgie" and ex- husband

The Duke of Gloucester's regal morale boosting tour of Afghanistan last week was rudely interrupted because his hosts were short of an Apache helicopter to move him about. Perhaps we should send the glamorous TV hostess the Duchess of York with her helicopter "Budgie" and perhaps her ex-husband to boost the men and equipment shortfalls in the Army's resources in the land of the Opium drug lords.

The Daily Telegraph after spending 3 weeks embedded with UK troops in Helmand province in Afghanistan yet again reports today of continuing major equipment problems ;

# Only 50% of the 8 Apache helicopters are working - heat and fine dust are wearing the kit out

# Only 70% of the 12 Chinooks are available meaning no air assualts have been undertaken

# Shortage of helicopter drivers means operations are limited by monthkly schedules being exhausted prematurely

# A beleaguered garrison recently had only 200 mortar rounds because of failure of helicopter supply

# Only 16 of 96 new armoured vehicles have been delivered

# High Explosives carried buy engineers in soft skinned trucks because of inadequate transport

# Soldiers have bought their own binoculars to replace inadequate Army sights.

Lord Patel has consistently identified the morale sapping equipment supply failures from the earliest days ( Friday, January 27, 2006 Reid sends ill equipped troops to certain deaths in S Afghanistan) when Dr Reid launched UK forces on this futile venture in the land where the poppies blow.

The pic is of the 40 year old RAF VC 10 Troop carrier at Titan exercises Fairford last summer