asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Chief of the General Staff was consulted and on what date over the withdrawal of Army resources in the form of (a) equipment and (b) personnel of all grades and ranks, from Iraq, and the increase in the deployment of (i) equipment and (ii) additional or the same personnel to Afghanistan; and [HL171]

Whether the Chief of the General Staff has agreed to the withdrawal of Army resources in the form of (a) equipment and (b) personnel of all grades and ranks, from Iraq, and the increase in the deployment of (i) equipment and (ii) additional or the same personnel to Afghanistan. [HL172]

The Chief of the General Staff, as a member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, regularly discusses such matters with the other single service Chiefs of Staff and with the Chief of the Defence Staff. Decisions on the military force deployed on operations in Iraq and in Afghanistan are based on military advice from the Chiefs of Staff and commanders on the ground.