Daniel Korski

Judging Dannatt

With Labour insiders threatening to “go after” General Sir Richard Dannatt once he retires from his post as Army Chief and takes on the chairmanship of RUSI, it seems only fair to give an early, but balanced, assessment of his tenure.

Like most people who reach the top of the army, General Dannatt’s career is the stuff of legend. Though he only meant to be in the army for three years, he distinguished himself while serving in Northern Ireland, earning the Military Cross and setting-off on a career that in would see him serve in Cyprus, Germany, Bosnia, and Kosovo. A tour in the MoD was followed by command of NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.

Yet when he replaced the gruff and outwardly popular Mike Jackson, few people knew what to expect of Dannatt. The Mail even reported that some thought that he “would be a managerial, John Majorish figure”. Perhaps more like Michael Boyce than Charles Guthrie.

But General Dannatt turned out to be rather different. He seems to have understood, perhaps better than his predecessor, the extent of unhappiness in the army – not just over underfunding and operational overstretch, but also over the reforms introduced by the government in 2004, which saw many regiments amalgamated and the infantry’s arms plot (which involves an infantry battalion performing one role for a period of time before being posted elsewhere to re-train and take up another role) ended. Though these reforms may have been necessary at the time, the manner and content of them angered many.

Perhaps partly to address this sense of dissatisfaction, General Dannatt did what may have produced his most lasting legacy – the championing of a new “military covenant”. His push for greater respect to be afforded soldiers and veterans was crucial in changing societal attitudes to the military and pushed the government into creating an Armed Forces Day, now celebrated across Britain.

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