The Military Covenant

"Devalued, angry and suffering from Iraq fatigue".

That's the state of our troops at the moment according to the Head of the Army General Sir Richard Dannatt.

Sir Richard Dannatt

A leaked copy of his report is carried in today's Sunday Telegraph, a report compiled after an internal survey of views at all ranks of the Army.

It describes the need for improvements in accommodation, pay and medical services, speaks of poor morale among troops and the strain placed on resources by operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It even cites concerns about a so called "pot noodle and sandwich" culture among junior soldiers because of a policy of making personnel pay for what they eat.

"My firm aim, General Dannatt says, is to the restore the balance of the Military Covenant - it is clearly out of kilter at the moment."

None of this is any surprise to those who've been calling for improved conditions for the armed forces for some time and for a strengthening of that Military Covenant - the contract between the nation, and service personnel and their families who make personal sacrifices in return for fair treatment and decent conditions of service.

Professor Anthony Forster is one such person. He's Dean of Social Sciences and Health at Durham University and recently co-authored a report for the thinktank Demos on this very subject.

We were also joined by the Labour MP Kevan Jones, member of the Defence Select committee who's also been campaigning for better conditions for soldiers and a medal "for those men and women who die or are injured in combat''.