Not since the Napoleonic Wars – EXECUTIVE DIGEST – The number of soldiers has been so low

The United Kingdom may have difficulties meeting its commitments to NATO as the number of casualties in the British armed forces has fallen to its lowest level since the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815), a former British leader promised on Monday. Security.

According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Defence, almost 7,000 people will leave the British Armed Forces by 2022, taking the total number of personnel to 190,170. The Army suffered the biggest decline, with 4% of its personnel leaving the service last year, reducing the effect to 114,210. Including military reserves, this number is 78,060 for regular troops, and the Ministry of Defense intends to reduce this number to 73,000.

According to Lord Dannott, the British Army’s chief of staff between 2006 and 2009, the lack of troops means the United Kingdom cannot repeat operations simultaneously. “We can’t do today what we did in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2008, when we had 10,000 troops in Iraq and 10,000 troops in Afghanistan, rotating every six months,” he added.

“We can do this with a regular army of over 100,000 soldiers. We cannot do it today with a regular army of just 73,000 men,” he asserted.

The number of personnel in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines fell by 3.2% to 38,990 at the start of 2022, down from 39,990. RAF (Air Force) numbers fell by 2.6% to 36,970. In the year ending January 1, 2023.

Despite being NATO’s biggest spender on defence, after the US, there is growing doubt that the UK can continue to meet its commitments to the military alliance. According to John Healy, Labour’s defense spokesman, “Conservative ministers must seize the opportunity now to restore defense plans, meet our NATO commitments and renew Britain’s moral contract with our armed forces.”

“As threats mount, the Conservatives are emptying our armed forces, reducing the British Army to its smallest size since Napoleon,” he asserted, adding that satisfaction “is down to nearly 40% and retention rates are falling, leading to more people leaving the armed forces than joining them.” .