That is not exactly the point is it?
The kit they should have depends on the jobs they are asked to do.
Would you like to be told to do a foot patrol in an area swarming with Taliban, and where the enemy have been placing IED's (Improvised Explosive Devices) along the routes they know you take? No proper safety measures were supplied such as enough troops to actually hold the ground or do proper sweeps for explosives.
The Taliban even use the same metal detectors as our lads to make the bombs harder to detect, we don't have enough helecopters for resupplies of equipment to troops in the field or for casevacs (casualty evacuations), armoured vehicles desperately needed have been in storage in the UK and Bahrain instead of where they were needed in Afghanistan, shortages of general kit (clothing, boots etc) have meant soldiers have often had to buy their own kit to fight in, the list goes on.
It is known as the military covenant. The troops agree to do their duty and the government agree to give them the equipment they need to do it as safely as possible.
This has not happened with the Labour government. They have broken the military covenant and caused numerous unnecessary deaths among our service personnel.
Totally unforgiveable.