In an obviously-rather-useful contribution to the ongoing controversy over what Lord Malloch-Brown told the Daily Telegraph about UK helicopters (or the lack of them) in Afghanistan, the Telegraph has published part of the original interview transcript:
Mary Riddell: “Are our troops under-resourced?”
Lord Malloch-Brown: “We definitely don’t have enough helicopters. To be honest, wherever you have these wars, whether in Afghanistan or Darfur, the world is operating without enough helicopters. With modern operations and insurgent strikes, what you need above all else is mobility.”
Mary Riddell: “And is it true that more soldiers have died, or will die, because of our lack of helicopters?”
Lord Malloch-Brown: “Yes and no. You have to see where the debate goes. Are there people who are dying who in other circumstances would be in helicopters? You cannot win these wars from the air. You have to get down among the people and have foot patrols.
“If there was one mistake from the early war in Iraq it was that you could win from the air and keep your soldiers completely safe.”
So, the choppers matter. But foot patrols matter more. That’s right, but maybe the opposition aren’t ready to run with a Petraeus-style “we need higher tolerance of casualties” line…
