He said that over 120,000 British Service personnel have served in Iraq and the vast majority conducted themselves to the highest standards.
But he said we must keep our systems of training and direction under constant and continuous review and we must ensure the message of zero-tolerance of abuse is reinforced, at every level, time and time again, so that there is a clear understanding of what is expected and a clear understanding of the consequences of bad behaviour.
And, he said, we must act to address allegations when they surface in a robust and timely manner.
Regarding allegations of abuse of Iraqi citizens by British Service personnel, Mr Rammell said "To date these have been dealt with on a case by case basis. The process has been slow and frustrating for everybody concerned.
"I am particularly frustrated by the difficulties involved in getting to the bottom of unproven allegations stemming from our time in Iraq. Many are sketchy and incomplete.
"There are very real and obvious difficulties in investigating these allegations with proper diligence, including interviewing witnesses in Iraq.
"My greatest fear is that uncertainty created by these unproven allegations risks unfairly undermining the reputation and achievements of our Armed Forces.
"The time has come to deal with them once and for all. So we are devoting more resources to bring matters to as swift a conclusion as possible.
"We are setting up a dedicated Iraq Historic Allegations Team to investigate the facts fully, transparently, and in a reasonable timescale.
"I have no doubt that the Director of Service Prosecutions will pursue any and all cases where evidence of wrongdoing is unearthed."
Mr Rammell also said that the MOD is taking extremely seriously its responsibility to prepare Service personnel properly to conduct detention operations in accordance with the law. He said "We are acting to ensure that the systems of education, training, doctrine and embedding correct behaviour in Armed Forces personnel are as robust as possible.
"In recent months we have been undertaking a great deal of internal work, concentrating on the Army, including specifically a review by the Army Inspector, a senior serving officer who is independent of the chain of command and reports directly to the Chief of the General Staff.
"The aim will be to examine and assess how every aspect of policy, training and conduct of handling detainees are being implemented and identifying areas for any improvement that is required.
"Uniquely, we have decided that the final report will be subject to significant external expert scrutiny.
"The MOD has engaged a senior retired police officer working with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary with specialist expertise in this area.
"Mark Lewindon will independently scrutinise this work, testing its rigour and contributing to the report's recommendations and conclusions."
Mr Rammell said that the Army Inspector's interim findings are that the MOD has made good progress since the Aitken Report in 2008 which identified lessons from cases of acknowledged abuse in Iraq in 2003 and 2004. He added "Our doctrine, procedures and training comply with the legal framework we work within and the values and standards expected of Service personnel.
"Those deploying on current operations understand the procedures they must follow and the proscribed techniques they must not use.
"We will undoubtedly find scope to do things better. In my view this process of improvement will never end. We will never achieve perfection.
"Individuals in stressful situations may fail to uphold the standard of behaviour we expect. But we will ensure that ill-discipline is punished and the full force of the law is applied.
"The Armed Forces will continue to learn and adapt their systems and processes.
"We will continue to embed a culture of respect for human rights, discipline, values and standards into every level of training, education, and doctrine in our Armed Forces.
"And in this culture of respect it has to be clear that integrity, moral courage and loyalty to the Armed Forces as a whole means that people should speak up to stop and report any wrongdoing.
"This is as important as the small team loyalty to mates that is such a powerful strength of our military."
Mr Rammell also said in his speech yesterday that the character of warfare is changing. He continued "Fighting amongst the people and under judgement of the people in very difficult circumstances has become the norm - and it is increasingly likely to be that way.
"How our Forces operate in a cluttered and confusing conflict environment will impact on support from civilians in theatre and support at home.
"In the new warfare, more than ever before, the abuse of detainees, mistreatment of civilians, and the unnecessary destruction of property or livelihood, and tragic loss of civilian life - these are not only wrong but self-defeating.
"This poses unprecedented challenges to civilised societies, such as our own, where the rule of law is rightly paramount."
Mr Rammell said that no member of the British Armed Forces is above the law, or should ever be above the law, and, he added, this is a view shared by our Armed Forces from the Chiefs of Staff all the way down the chain of command. He said "Where allegations are made of mistreatment or abuse they will rightly be thoroughly investigated and we do not shrink from punishing those found guilty.
"But no-one should jump to the conclusion that every allegation is true or that a number of unproven allegations in themselves indicate a culture of ill-discipline or brutality."
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