British armed forces 'overstretched' by Iraq, Afghanistan commitments
Low morale: A British soldier talks to a resident during a patrol in the Garma area in Basra. Picture: Reuters
Saturday, July 12, 2008
FEARS that Britain's armed forces feel they are "overstretched" by the dual commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan were confirmed by a survey last Thursday which reflected low morale and showed that half of all servicemen-and women want to "quit." The survey, undertaken by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), revealed unprecedented levels of concern over equipment, morale and pay, as nearly half of those who took part said they had considered leaving the forces.
It said that 47 per cent of members of the British Army and the Royal Navy, and 44 per cent of those in the Royal Air Force, reported they had considered leaving the armed forces.
Main concerns raised in the 2007 survey were the frequency of tours, levels of pay, the quality of equipment and housing, as well as separation from families.
Commentators said the survey underlined concerns that Britain's 200,000 strong professional armed forces were being "overstretched" by the deployment in two concurrent conflicts.
Britain currently has 4,000 troops still in Iraq, and levels in Afghanistan are set to rise to more than 8,000 by the end of 2008.
The government was facing a dilemma, as original plans to reduce troop levels in Iraq to 2,500 by this spring to free forces for deployment in Afghanistan had been made "politically impossible" by an upsurge in violence in Basra, southern Iraq, experts said.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown called off his troop reduction plan after Iraqi forces decided to take on the Shia militia in Basra, backed by 900 US soldiers, and with the British being brought back into active fighting after their withdrawal to an "overwatch" role last September. "The original design was to draw down in Iraq in order to build up in Afghanistan. This was at the heart of the strategy but it simply hasn't happened, that is why the forces are overstretched," one analyst told The Times.
After Defence Secretary Des Browne himself admitted that the British forces were not configured and resourced to maintain two operations at the same time, the question now was how long the current tempo and level of deployment could continue.
Outgoing US President George W Bush is known to have made clear his disapproval of "premature" British troop reductions in Iraq and promises of a reduction in deployment levels were unlikely in the near future, analysts said.
The survey showed that the quick turnaround in operational tours played a major role in soldiers' dissatisfaction with army life, with 59 per cent saying that operation commitments made them more likely to leave.
Questioned about morale within their service as a whole, 59 per cent of the Army rated levels as "low" or "very low." In the Royal Navy the figure was 64 per cent, and in the elite Royal Marines 38 per cent. Within the Royal Air Force, 72 per cent said morale across the service was low.
However, 59 per cent of the armed forces overall said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their job. Some 69 per cent of Army officers were satisfied with the sense of achievement they got from their work, compared with 51 per cent of soldiers.
Despite all the difficulties, the survey showed that pride in serving within the Armed Forces remained high, with 93 per cent of officers and 76 per cent of soldiers saying they were proud to be in the Army.
Some 24,760 questionnaires were sent out by the MoD, with almost 9,000 service personnel - or 36 per cent — responding between July and October 2007. Since then, the death toll in Afghanistan has rocketed to 110, chiefly from roadside bombs and mines, while the toll in Iraq is 176.
DPA
It said that 47 per cent of members of the British Army and the Royal Navy, and 44 per cent of those in the Royal Air Force, reported they had considered leaving the armed forces.
Main concerns raised in the 2007 survey were the frequency of tours, levels of pay, the quality of equipment and housing, as well as separation from families.
Commentators said the survey underlined concerns that Britain's 200,000 strong professional armed forces were being "overstretched" by the deployment in two concurrent conflicts.
Britain currently has 4,000 troops still in Iraq, and levels in Afghanistan are set to rise to more than 8,000 by the end of 2008.
The government was facing a dilemma, as original plans to reduce troop levels in Iraq to 2,500 by this spring to free forces for deployment in Afghanistan had been made "politically impossible" by an upsurge in violence in Basra, southern Iraq, experts said.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown called off his troop reduction plan after Iraqi forces decided to take on the Shia militia in Basra, backed by 900 US soldiers, and with the British being brought back into active fighting after their withdrawal to an "overwatch" role last September. "The original design was to draw down in Iraq in order to build up in Afghanistan. This was at the heart of the strategy but it simply hasn't happened, that is why the forces are overstretched," one analyst told The Times.
After Defence Secretary Des Browne himself admitted that the British forces were not configured and resourced to maintain two operations at the same time, the question now was how long the current tempo and level of deployment could continue.
Outgoing US President George W Bush is known to have made clear his disapproval of "premature" British troop reductions in Iraq and promises of a reduction in deployment levels were unlikely in the near future, analysts said.
The survey showed that the quick turnaround in operational tours played a major role in soldiers' dissatisfaction with army life, with 59 per cent saying that operation commitments made them more likely to leave.
Questioned about morale within their service as a whole, 59 per cent of the Army rated levels as "low" or "very low." In the Royal Navy the figure was 64 per cent, and in the elite Royal Marines 38 per cent. Within the Royal Air Force, 72 per cent said morale across the service was low.
However, 59 per cent of the armed forces overall said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their job. Some 69 per cent of Army officers were satisfied with the sense of achievement they got from their work, compared with 51 per cent of soldiers.
Despite all the difficulties, the survey showed that pride in serving within the Armed Forces remained high, with 93 per cent of officers and 76 per cent of soldiers saying they were proud to be in the Army.
Some 24,760 questionnaires were sent out by the MoD, with almost 9,000 service personnel - or 36 per cent — responding between July and October 2007. Since then, the death toll in Afghanistan has rocketed to 110, chiefly from roadside bombs and mines, while the toll in Iraq is 176.
DPA
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