08 February 2008
Up to 7,000 of Britain's soldiers are unfit to fight, leaving frontline troops 'dangerously exposed,' according to figures obtained by the Conservatives.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed that ten battalions recently sent to Iraq and Afghanistan left 400 sick or injured soldiers behind in the UK.
Last week a critical Commons defence select committee report stressed that the forces were under-resourced and losing large numbers of experienced personnel fed up with constantly being away from home.
The 'serious worries' of the committee are reflected in the new figures, obtained by Tory MP Patrick Mercer, which show that one in 14 infantry soldiers is 'unfit to deploy'. The figures, given in a written statement, are taken from ten battalions deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan now and last year. They show that Second Battalion Yorkshire Regiment had to leave 50 long-term sick troops in the UK while in Afghanistan. In Iraq, almost 10% of the First Regiment Royal Horse Artillery's 388 gunners were unfit for duty.
'This is an albatross that hangs over commanding officers' heads,' said Mercer, a former infantry commander, on February 4. 'In times of peace it is fine, but in war it is a complete and utter liability. The MoD say they are 4,000 below strength, but the truth is that there are two brigades' worth of long-term sick who cannot deploy and are simply a liability.'
Troop shortages are said to have reached such critical levels that at least six battalions will be needed to do the job of four when the next brigade deploys to Afghanistan this spring.
An MoD spokesman said: 'The use of elements from a number of battalions is not new and the current deployment of 52 Brigade contains forces from four infantry battalions and two other battalions.'
PFfeb2008
