Lords Committee to hear evidence from serving LT General and defence experts on winning hearts and minds in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya
The House of Lords Committee on Soft Power and the UK's Influence will next week take evidence from experts in the defence sector on how the UK military employs ‘soft power' in its training, peace-keeping, nation-building and combat operations.
The Committee will quiz the witnesses on the lessons learnt from recent conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya about the correct balance between ‘overwhelming force' and winning ‘hearts and minds'. The session is also likely to cover the Armed Forces' use of soft power in the fight against international terrorism, and whether military funding should be traded off against spending on overseas aid.
The evidence session will take place at 4.20pm on Monday 8 July in Committee Room 1 of the House of Lords. Giving evidence will be:
- Lieutenant General Simon Mayall CB, Defence Senior Advisor for the Middle East, Ministry of Defence.
- Nicholas Beadle CMG, Royal United Services Institute.
- Steve McCarthy, Director of International Security Policy, Ministry of Defence.