YOUR correspondent Mr Phillips (August 21) misrepresents those who seek to free the Dartmoor National Park from the blight of military training. We are not anti-military. In fact my association is very proud of the considerable number of military veterans among our membership.
But armies do not exist in a vacuum. They exist to preserve our way of life and our parliamentary democracy has decreed that that must include National Parks that enjoy the highest degree of environmental protection.
The Ministry of Defence has itself decided that it is holding on to too much land and is considering areas that might be freed. It seems perfectly reasonable to us that one result of this exercise is to free the land currently held in National Parks first.
The cost of holding onto the same excessive amount of land as held during the Cold War is obvious. The waste of money is one reason why we see soldiers without body armour, without boots that fit, and with rifles that malfunction. It is why we have the scandalous situation where soldiers have to go to outdoor shops to buy usable gear at their own expense.
The only reason some local army officers are resisting the removal of the military from Dartmoor is that they are fearful of having nothing to command.
John Bainbridge
Chief Executive
Dartmoor
Preservation Association