Indeed, Philip Hammond, the former Defence Secretary, told senior officers last summer that the military would not be able to spend 2 per cent of GDP, even if the Government agreed to provide it. This asinine remark, which typifies the disdainful attitude of some senior Tories, overlooks the fact that the RAF is desperately short of combat squadrons, the Navy is still trying to work out how it will provide the expert manpower and equipment needed to operate its two new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers and the Army is struggling to cope with the drastic reductions to its ranks.