Tony Blair has promised more cash to improve conditions for the armed forces as he admitted soldiers deserved better.
The Prime Minister's pledge came as he insisted that Britain must maintain its status as a major defence power and warned against any retreat from fighting wars.
Speaking aboard HMS Albion in Plymouth, he said that military might was essential to winning the war on terror as he tried to rally increasingly sceptical troops.
But he acknowledged that the "covenant" with the forces had to be renewed as soldiers were asked to undertake unprecedented challenges in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"For our part, in Government, it will mean increased expenditure on equipment, personnel and the conditions of our Armed Forces - not in the short run, but for the long term," he said.
"On the part of the military, they need to accept that in a volunteer armed force, conflict and therefore casualty may be part of what they are called upon to face."
The public, meanwhile, had to recognise the importance of Britain's protracted military campaigns to international security.
The Tories responded that it was too late for Mr Blair to improve his legacy on defence, while rebel Labour MPs described his comments as "delusional".
The Premier argued that Britain had to maintain both its military and diplomatic roles in the world if it was to tackle international poverty and climate change as well as terrorism and conflict in the Middle East.
"Problems interconnect," he said. "Poverty in Africa can't be solved simply by the presence of aid. It needs the absence of conflict. Failed states threaten us as well as their own people."
