Britain's shrinking army could fit into a large football stadium

Britain's overstretched armed forces are shrinking by the day as long-suffering troops vote with their feet and quit the military, official figures reveal.

Manpower has dropped by almost 15,000 in just three years, despite Britain fighting two bloody foreign wars, and none of the three services is training enough recruits to replace experienced personnel who are leaving.

The Ministry of Defence admits the forces are facing greater demands in Iraq and Afghanistan than they are designed to cope with, and senior defence chiefs have warned that the military is close to breaking point.


Long-suffering: Britain's troops are quitting the military

Yet officials have responded by reducing manpower targets sharply - scrapping almost 12,000 posts since 2005.

Even this drastic cut in the target is failing to keep pace with the real decline, and the number of vacant posts has soared from 3,000 to almost 6,000 in just three years.

Officially the MOD insists fewer troops are needed due to restructuring and efficiency gains, but privately officials admit there is no point setting manpower targets which cannot be met.

As of July 1 there were 173,370 trained personnel across the Army, Royal Navy and RAF - a fall of 14,680, or eight per cent, since April 2005.

The forces now face a shortfall of 5,790 unfilled posts, compared with 3,040 three years ago. The worst shortages are in the Army which needs 3,500 more trained soldiers.

The Army is now just 98,290-strong - its smallest since the eve of the Napoleonic Wars - and would comfortably fit into a large football stadium. As recently as 1987 it had 162,000 soldiers.

The RAF has been hardest hit, losing a fifth of its manpower in just three years, with only 40,160 trained personnel left and more than a thousand posts unfilled.

The Navy has 34,920 trained sailors - down by around 1,500 in three years, with 1,220 posts empty.

None of the forces can currently achieve 'manning balance' - finding enough new recruits to replace those leaving - although the MOD claimed year-on-year trends showed improvements.


Running hot: The Ministry of Defence has reduced manpower targets sharply

An official MOD internal assessment earlier this year admitted Britain's services have been operating beyond their 'planning assumptions' - carrying out more operations abroad than they are designed for - every year since 2002.

As a result they cannot meet their readiness targets to cope with unexpected crisis, and will not be able to fight another major war for years to come because training at home has had to be cut back and skills have been lost.

Targets for gaps between operational tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan are being missed for thousands of soldiers, who are sent back into war zones every few months and spend less time with their family.

The head of the Army General Sir Richard Dannatt has warned that the Army is 'running hot', and 'meeting challenges on the hoof'.

He has complained that his junior soldiers are paid less than parking attendants, and in a leaked memo told colleagues that reinforcements were now 'almost non-existent'.

Shadow Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox said: 'The figures reinforce our concerns that there is a retention crisis in the Armed Forces. No amount of moving the goalposts can disguise the simple truth that the Armed Forces still face serious shortfalls.

'The lack of improvement shows this Government cares very little about alleviating the current problem of overstretch.'

Liberal Democrat spokesman Nick Harvey said: 'Instead of trying to spin the strength of our armed services, the MoD should be taking real action to address the hardships faced by our troops.'

Defence Minister Bob Ainsworth said: 'We face strong competition from other employers and our personnel are very much in demand owing to the skills and experience they acquire during service life.

'At a time when the Armed Forces are heavily committed to operations, recruitment and retention of high quality people is more important than ever. We are determined to tackle these challenges.'

He pointed to recent pay rises and retention bonuses as evidence of the Government's efforts, as well as a recent White Paper promising improvements in access to housing, healthcare and education for military families.

Britain's shrinking army could fit into a large football stadium