Bob Ainsworth
Bob Ainsworth
Robert William "Bob" Ainsworthis a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliamentfor Coventry North East from 1992 to 2015, and was the Secretary of State for Defence from 2009 to 2010. Following the general election in 2010 he was the Shadow Defence Secretary, but was replaced by Jim Murphy following the election of new Labour leader Ed Miliband...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth19 June 1952
privilege defence expected
I never expected to be Defence Secretary. It's a great privilege.
defence extremely honoured job
I am extremely honoured to be the Defence Secretary, and I would not do the job if I did not think that I could make a useful contribution in the role.
chief defence defend defending interests means staff tackling threats
As the Chief of the Defence Staff says, you don't defend on the goal line. Defending the interests of the U.K. means tackling threats early and at source, and that means intervening overseas.
appointed defence forces minister prior
I was Minister for the Armed Forces in the Ministry of Defence for two years prior to being appointed Defence Secretary.
defence history keen subject
I have always had a keen interest in defence and military history and read more on this subject than anything else.
defence environment quickly respond security
Defence must be more adaptable, able to respond quickly to the changes in the security environment and the character of conflict.
behave collective elected labour parliament struck
When I was first elected to parliament 18 years ago, one of the many things that struck me and that I still feel now is how the Labour Party, the party of collective action, can, at MP level and above, behave in such an individualistic way.
building capable genuinely inspiring leader media open policies present project true
We need a leader able to project his or her personality and present our policies in today's media environment. All this is true - but we also need a leader capable of building a team, inspiring loyalty from colleagues, and one genuinely open to ideas.
again allow attacks cannot haven july plan provide september terrorists
We cannot allow Afghanistan to become again a haven for terrorists who inspire, plan and provide support for attacks like those of 11 September 2001, of 7 July 2005 in London, and more.
afghan allowed future girls helping hope people
We are not in Afghanistan because girls were not allowed to go to school, but helping them do so will give the Afghan people hope for a better future.
long tough backgrounds
I come from a pretty tough background and I learned a long time ago not to be bothered.
country war west
We in the West walked away from Afghanistan at the end of the Cold War and left it as a country devastated socially and armed to the teeth. If we do that again, there will be consequences.
hero spirit another-life
My heroes are the non-commissioned officers. If I had another life thats what Id be - a regimental sergeant major or a similar rank. Thats where the spirit of the armed forces is.
hair people teeth
I got a tooth bust by somebody who decided they didn't like me and I thought the moustache hid a scar on my lip. It's true that people were told facial hair was not appreciated by the British public, but I just decided to keep the moustache.