Busy not overstretched

BBC Breakfast with Frost, Sunday 28 March 2004.

On today's programme the head of the Army, General Sir Mike Jackson denied that British troops are over-stretched - despite recent comments by the Chief of the Defence Staff, that it would be difficult to mount another large-scale operation before the end of the decade.

General Sir Mike Jackson

"The Army is busy," General Jackson told Sir David.

"I am not sure about this word 'overstretch'. A lot of that is in the eye of the beholder."

Asked if the Army would be capable of taking on another mission on the scale of the intervention in Sierra Leone, he said:

"Oh, indeed. A smaller operation is do-able. It is not in the British Army's make-up to say 'No'."

General Jackson suggested that despite greater co-operation at European level, a fully-fledged Euro-army is some way off.

"Any army must have a clear political authority under which it acts," he said.

"It is not on offer unless, and until, such a single political authority emerged."

Tory leader 'too old'?

Sir David also talked to Sir Edward Heath - in a rare and wide-ranging interview conducted at Sir Edward's home in Salisbury, Wiltshire.

The former Prime Minister - who has been out of the spotlight recently, because of illness - reflected on his long career, but was also keen to discuss recent political developments.

Making his first comments on the appointment of Michael Howard as Conservative leader, Sir Edward questioned whether Mr Howard is perhaps too old to become Prime Minister.

Newspapers reviewed by Cristina Odone and Paul Gambaccini

"Today, the Prime Minister of the day is appointed in the forties. I think a whole lot of the population won't recognise somebody in their 60s as being a Prime Minister," he said.

Sir David's other guests were the US Deputy Head of Homeland Security, Asa Hutchinson ... and the opera singer, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.

The newspapers were reviewed by the journalist Cristina Odone and the radio presenter Paul Gambaccini.

Interview with Asa Hutchinson

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