The former head of Britain's armed forces has warned against planned cuts in the standing army, saying they would leave it "dangerously small and over-committed," in comments published on Sunday. Lord Charles Guthrie told The Sunday Telegraph that the British army "has become dangerously small for what it is being asked to do."
"Of course, if you have too small an army you can't react," said Guthrie, a former chief of both the army general staff and the defense staff who holds the title of colonel commandant of the Special Air Service. His comments were published a day ahead of the expected announcement of government restructuring plans for the armed forces.
| Why, it's almost by design. |
Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour government has already detailed its plans to reduce troop numbers and merge several regiments, in reforms, which are expected to save 250 million pounds (480 million dollars, 360 million euros) per year, according to The Sunday Telegraph. Guthrie countered that "none of them (in the cabinet) has been in the military and politicans do not understand nowadays that the army is not just another job." A Minister of Defence spokesman quoted by the newspaper said the army would actually have "more boots on the ground" because of efficiency-minded restructuring.
| The Euro forces have becoming smaller and more efficient with more boots on the ground for the last couple of decades. That's why you see the Euro armies everywhere there's trouble. |
|