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Afghanistan

I have also talked to General Dannatt about these issues. We have funded new equipment on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq through what are called the UOR—the urgent operational requirements—so it is possible by the expenditure of large sums of money to get the most modern and up-to-date equipment quickly into the theatre or field. That is what we have been trying to do. I think I am right in saying that UORs have accounted for more than £2 billion in recent years, and we have set aside additional money over the next few years. If we are putting such equipment straight into theatre, that raises questions about the resources that we have available for equipment for training. We are now giving attention to that. The hon. Lady is right to raise this point, but it is a function of the success of getting the best equipment into theatre as quickly as possible.