One in five British soldiers ‘not fit for duty’
New figures cast doubt on strength of British Army as Tory MPs threaten revolt
The number of British soldiers fit for action has fallen to just 60,000, with one in five troops unable to undertake full combat duties due to illness or injury.
A total of 18,000 soldiers currently suffer from physical or mental illness, lack of fitness or could only be deployed on certain operations, new figures show.
The Ministry of Defence says there are 78,407 full-time and fully trained troops, which is less than the Government’s 82,000 target. The revelation that there could be even fewer than that comes at a time when there is already unease at the impact of cutbacks on military expenditure.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Former naval officer and Tory MP Andrew Bowie, who uncovered the figures through a parliamentary question, said the “worrying” staffing gap could be heaping undue stress on serving soldiers.
Speaking to The Independent, Bowie said: “A decision has to be made. Do we fund and man our armed forces properly and ask them to do all we ask them, or do we continue to underfund and undermine, leading to overstretched and undue stress on our serving soldiers?”
Last week, new Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson was warned there would be a “substantial” revolt by Tory MPs in the event of more cuts to army numbers and diminishment of naval capability.
Hammond calls for cuts
According to The Sun, Chancellor Philip Hammond has told the Prime Minister the British Army only needs 50,000 troops, less than half the number when the Tories came to power in 2010.
During what the paper described as a “heated debate”, Hammond said cutting around 30,000 full-time and fully-trained soldiers would still allow the British Army to carry out its core task of being able to send a division to fight a war.
“Enraged Army chiefs said the much-reduced quota would leave the UK only able to sustain a war for around six months”, says The Sun. It would also rule out any large-scale peace-keeping mission or invasion like the 2003 Iraq War, says the paper.
The International Business Times says “the Government has controversially been trying to close gaps in defence spending by increasing the number of reservists, with the goal of recruiting 30,000 Army reservists by 2020”.
Following seven years of austerity cutbacks and an alleged £2bn black hole, the MoD is reportedly bracing itself for further cuts to spending as part of a Cabinet Office review of the UK’s national security next year.
According to series of leaks by senior military officials published in The Times over recent months, the MoD faces a funding shortfall of a least £20bn over the next decade, though this could be as large as £30bn.
During her tour of the Middle East last week, Prime Minister Theresa May repeatedly refused to guarantee that the number of troops in the army would not fall below 70,000 as part of the review, prompting Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood to threaten to quit if a series of cost-saving proposals to cut the armed forces went ahead.
He could be joined by as many as 30 other Conservatives, after ex-army officer Tory MP Johnny Mercer, who has led a campaign to boost resources, said a sizeable number of backbenchers were prepared to “hold the Government’s feet to the fire” on defence spending.
Labour has sought to directly link austerity with cuts to the military. The party’s shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith said reducing the size of the army to 70,000, “would seriously put our international credibility at risk” and accused the Tories of being in “open rebellion” over the issue.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What might happen if Trump eliminates the Department Of Education?
Today's Big Question The president-elect says the federal education agency is on the chopping block
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Global court issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu
Speed Read The International Criminal Court issued warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who stand accused of war crimes
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
British defence: the crisis in the Armed Forces
Talking Point Depleted military power may not be able to meet its own commitment to up defence spending to 2.5%
By The Week UK Published
-
The issue of women and conscription
Under the radar Ukraine military adviser hints at widening draft to women, as other countries weigh defence options amid global insecurity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Grant Shapps goes to war on military's 'woke' diversity policies
Talking Point Defence secretary condemns 'extremist culture' as Army reportedly plans to relax security checks on overseas recruits
By The Week UK Published
-
Can the UK rely on the British Army to defend itself?
Today's Big Question Armed forces in ‘dire state’ and no longer regarded as top-level fighting force, US general warns
By The Week Staff Published
-
Will Britain have to fight Russia?
feature New chief, Gen Sir Patrick Sanders, says British Army must be capable of winning wars on land
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is Henry Kissinger right about Ukraine?
Speed Read The US statesman made a controversial speech at a virtual Davos appearance last week
By The Week Staff Published
-
What could the British Army learn from Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Kyiv troops’ experience of fighting Russia offers important lessons for UK, defence minister says
By The Week Staff Published
-
How fake priest conned his way into staying at Windsor barracks
Under the Radar The intruder joked with officers in their mess before being offered a bed for the night
By The Week Staff Published