Michael Fallon’s resignation is bad timing for the Armed Forces

Sir Michael Fallon’s resignation is bad timing for the Armed Forces. Having spent more than three years at the Ministry of Defence, he has mastered his brief and won the genuine respect of senior officers for his commitment to the military cause in a very challenging budgetary environment.

At the time of his departure, he was involved in a serious tussle with the Treasury to make sure the military budget was maintained, and was pressing the case for a modest increase to help overcome the serious funding gaps that have appeared since the last Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015.

Difficult decisions will need to be taken in the next couple of months on potentially damaging cuts, such as reducing the size of the Marines or reducing the number of combat warships to cover the costs of the two new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.