The UK Department of Defense published an internal report in which it reported the “shocking state” of the Kingdom’s armed forces. Writes about this Daily Mail.
Only one of the 33 British infantry battalions does not experience a shortage of personnel, the newspaper notes. The reason was low wages, as well as the selection of recruits through a private firm.
Former commander of the British army in Afghanistan Colonel Richard Kemp explained that the contract with a private company for 1.3 billion pounds was “a disastrous decision.”
Because of bureaucratic hurdles, recruits lost their desire to serve in the military, according to Kemp, even in the elite Scottish Guard there is a shortage of military personnel.
“The army is already too small to fully defend Britain in an increasingly dangerous world,” the colonel added.
The British Ground Forces currently require 14,984 soldiers, according to the report. Britain can only send 11,000 troops to the battlefield.