Legal claims 'could paralyse' armed forces

[cronus]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24576547

Legal claims 'could paralyse' armed forces

A "sustained legal assault" on British forces could have "catastrophic consequences" for the safety of the nation, an influential right-leaning think tank has warned.

A report for Policy Exchange says legal action may paralyse the armed forces.

It highlights a surge in legal claims against the Ministry of Defence - totalling 5,827 in 2012-13.

But lawyers for the families of service personnel dismissed the findings as "political" and "biased".

The report says litigation has led to the MoD employing around 310 lawyers and legal consultants at a cost of £36m a year.

Entitled 'the Fog of Law', it points to the application of the Human Rights Act and the growing application of civilian norms to military conduct via the courts as risks to the UK's armed forces.

(continued, the pen is stronger than the sword but maybe not as strong as a missile launcher?)