Army Faces Biggest Cuts Since Crimea - Michael Smith, The Times.
The Ministry of Defence intends to cut army manpower to its lowest level since the Crimean war.
Plans to axe three infantry battalions - a total of 1,800 men - are being discussed despite the overstretch caused by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This would see the size of the army drop below 100,000 for the first time since the 1850s.
The army is so desperate to protect funding for Afghanistan that it could offer cuts only in infantry units to meet demands for savings.
General Sir David Richards, the incoming head of the army, offered to sacrifice The Green Howards, the regiment of General Sir Richard Dannatt, the current head of the army.
The plan was discussed at a high-level meeting of the army, the navy and the RAF in Whitehall last Tuesday. The defence ministry said this weekend it could not discuss the proposed cuts because next year's planning round was ongoing".
The RAF proposed the scrapping of Harrier jump jets while the navy proposed axing Type42 destroyers early, and putting back the replacement for its frigates for 20 years...
More at The Times.
Comments
<I>"The army is so desperate to protect funding for Afghanistan that it could offer cuts only in infantry units to meet demands for savings."</I>
I read that sentence about a dozen times and it still doesn't make any sense to me. Shouldn't the most important item be <I>last</I> on the chopping block?