General Sir Mike Jackson, the former head of the Army, has criticised the way in which the Ministry of Defence (MoD) runs the armed forces.
Speaking at the annual Dimbleby Lecture, he said soldiers' wages were "hardly impressive" and "some accommodation" was "frankly shaming".
But the MoD said it was always working to improve conditions for its forces.
Conservative defence spokesman Dr Liam Fox said Sir Mike's comments were damning for the government.
Sir Mike retired as the head of the Army in August. He told the BBC he had not spoken out while in his post but now he was "a civilian".
He said: "It's not a question of whether I say things or not, it's a question of whether you say things publicly or not".
But why did he not do anything about it while he was in post? Perhaps he tried and failed, defeated by those evil civilians that run the MoD. If that were so, and if he felt strongly enough, he could have gone public. Of course, he might have lost his post and his knighthood and been forced to retire early. But, as he did not, we have to assume that he was content to be a part of the MoD which he now criticises. It's tough, we know, but you don't get to be a general without making tough decisions. And as for his commitment to improving the conditions of service for soldiers, well...
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