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Armed Forces Bill

I do not know whether my hon. Friend has visited our forces in Bosnia, but if he did so, he would see that it would be hard to argue that that was not what they were doing. I do not want the Bill to be so amended that our armed forces are constantly unsure which provisions apply—to be wondering ““Does this count? Is this ethically right or wrong?”” My experience of the armed forces is limited—it is nowhere near that of the hon. Member for Newark—but through the armed forces parliamentary scheme I have met countless soldiers of varying ranks with extremely well-developed consciences. In fact, they probably need a more keenly developed conscience about military operations than they ever did in the past, but that need not undermine discipline. An essential part of the training of a modern soldier is being able to make ethical decisions.