The Certain Road to Absurdity
Spending on defence now costs nearly £300 each year for every man, woman and child in Britain. We spend more on defence than we do on health, or on education, and the price is rising. Each new generation of weapons costs the Ministry of Defence three times more than the last: if equipment costs continue to go up at this rate, there'll be nothing left in 30 years to pay a single soldier, sailor or airman. Richard Lindley reports on the Government's struggle to get off the road to absurdity without sacrificing any of our worldwide defence commitments.
Producer CHRIS OXLEY Editor PETER IBBOTSON