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Armed Forces Bill

My Lords, we cannot support the amendment. As the noble Lord, Lord Garden, acknowledged in Committee, recently a full life sentence has been used very sparingly in desertion cases. None the less, it remains a crucial sanction to retain. We have heard many times in this House how discipline is central to the success of our Armed Forces. Desertion has been identified as perhaps the biggest threat to discipline and is among the worst offences as viewed by fellow soldiers. Service men and women need to be able to rely on one another absolutely. In some cases, the potential threat of life imprisonment is essential to ensure that soldiers continue to carry out their duty while on dangerous operations. As the noble Lord, Lord Judd, said earlier, a key person deserting could have huge implications for an operation.