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Armed Forces Bill

There is no doubt that there is a problem with rules of engagement, but I have some difficulties with Amendment No. 61. First, the details on the existing rules of engagement card do not seem to me to change from operation to operation. I can quote the exact words. They are engraved in my brain. In every operation the rules of engagement are the same. Secondly, subsection (8) says that the Secretary of State may classify the rules, but subsection (9) says that the cards should not be classified. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, the actual rules of engagement for an operation, which are issued by PDHQ, are contained in a massive and detailed document. It is not a little card, like my cue cards; it is a big document, and it is surprisingly precise. It might say that you can attack electricity pylons but not an electricity substation. The details would have to be classified because if the enemy knew what was in the detailed rules of engagement they would not need to defend that particular infrastructure and therefore could concentrate their defensive efforts on infrastructure that could be attacked. However, I have some sympathy with Amendment No. 62A. I was very surprised at what the noble Lord, Lord Garden, said about foreign rules of engagement and the Answer to his Written Question. I will certainly be talking to him later about that.