But Mr Kemp, who attended Colchester Royal Grammar School before having a hugely successful military career, agreed the president’s comments that some NATO troops “stayed a little back” from the front line will have horrified British ex-servicemen and women.
In an interview with Fox News last week, President Trump said of NATO soldiers: “We’ve never needed them – we have never really asked anything of them.
“They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan – and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”
After a huge backlash – including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer saying the comments were “insulting and frankly appalling” – President Trump posted on social media platform Truth Social to say British soldiers are “great and very brave” and “will always be with the United States of America”.
The 16 Air Assault Brigade, based in Colchester, lost 58 soldiers during its involvement in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2014.
Mr Kemp, who commanded British forces in Afghanistan in 2003, said a lot of people will have felt insulted by the President’s comments even though he went on to praise British troops.
He said: “President Trump said the comments do not apply to us, but that raises the question about the Danes and Canadians and other countries that made a major contribution in Afghan – but he didn’t attempt to row back what he said about them.
“If anything, that compounded the insult.”
He continued: “His comments were levelled at the political leadership, although he did not specify that as he should have done.
“He is just an unpredictable man.
“By attacking European countries for not contributing to their own defence, he is forcing them to do more and forcing countries not paying the minimum two per cent GDP to go to five percent.
“It may not be very pleasant, but it does also work.”
Mr Kemp said forces like the 16 Air Assault Brigade worked “hand in glove” with the American Army during the invasion of Afghanistan.
“This applies to the 16 Air Assault Brigade and my regiment, the Royal Anglian Regiment where Colchester is one of its main recruitment arms.
“When I was in Afghanistan in 2003, pretty much everything we did was with Americans – we shared resources, combined assets and fight alongside American troops.”