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Armed Forces (Modernisation)

The hon. Gentleman— The right hon. Gentleman—I beg his pardon—makes an important point, and I know that he will be carrying out an important task in his new role in the coming months. What we are seeking to do today is to improve the support and opportunities for our armed forces. These measures will release considerable resources for improving our capability on the front line, and they will make the best use of taxpayers' money. These are the tough decisions that we have to consider at the end of the day. As I have said, improved support for our front-line resources in the difficult circumstances in which they find themselves in different areas around the world must be our top priority in the modernisation process. These proposals will release resources so that we can do that better.