James Blunt - Blunt Receives Raf Letter After Axed Trip

The former soldier-turned-singer was due to perform for British troops as part of a morale-boosting trip with opera star Katherine Jenkins in December (10).

He launched a Twitter.com rant after a 15-hour wait at an airport in England, before the visit was scrapped altogether.

The You're Beautiful hitmaker blamed the cancellation on "bad organisation, verging on incompetence" and later sent a complaint email to bosses at the British Forces Foundation.

Now it has emerged that authorities defended the mix-up, while protesting Blunt's claim that the Raf was "helping us to lose" the war.

In a letter to the star, obtained by Britain's Independent on Sunday, Air Vice-Marshal Barry North writes, "I wish to take issue with you with respect to your assertions that: the Raf is not up to the job; there is gross incompetence in the organisation and structure of the Raf; the officers of the Raf are not interested in the events of 20 Dec; the Raf is not 'fighting' the 'war' in Afghanistan; the Raf is 'helping us to lose it'; and that the Raf is failing to move soldiers around the world."

Meanwhile, Jenkins, who performed Silent Night to 160 troops stranded on her plane, was sent a letter thanking her for "in the face of adversity... entertaining the passengers as you did".