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5-8-2003 Scotsman Quarter of British tank squadrons cut ahead of defence review By Gethin Chamberlain Defence Correspondent THE British Army has begun cutting its fighting strength more than a month before the results of a far-reaching defence review are due to be published, The Scotsman can reveal. With thousands of British troops still on the ground in Iraq, cuts have already begun which will remove a quarter of the army's main battle tank squadrons. Among those regiments affected are the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, whose tank crews led the charge into Basra in April. The cuts come amid growing concern at the scale of cost- saving measures in a government white paper due for release in the next couple of months. At least two infantry regiments are believed to be under threat, with speculation that they could include the Highlanders, although the Ministry of Defence was yesterday at pains to stress that no final decision had been taken. When the idea of cutting back the tank regiments was first floated two months ago, the MoD said that lessons learned from the war in Iraq were still being assessed, although the performance of the armoured units had demonstrated that tanks could still be an effective weapon in modern warfare. But army sources yesterday said that the cuts had already started. Each of the six main battle tank regiments, equipped with Challenger II tanks, has been told to get rid of one of its four squadrons. Each squadron should consist of 14 tanks, each with a three-man crew. Patrick Mercer, the shadow minister for homeland security, said he had been told the cuts had already begun. He said: "A number of people have come to me and told me that there are manpower cuts coming up in the army and told me that these are going to focus principally on the Royal armoured corps and on the infantry. "The government have decided to cut the fourth squadron from each of the main battle tank regiments. They are doing it as we speak." The white paper is expected to signal a marked change in the way the army operates, with less emphasis on heavy armour and greater use of attack helicopters and new, light tanks capable of being transported by air. Mr Mercer said it could take years to bring the regiments back up to full strength again but the army had little choice because of the need to find the cash to pay for new equipment. "The government will not give the army enough money. They cannot afford it," he said. "The army has got to modernise certain equipment and it has got a stark choice between equipment and manpower." Some defence experts believe the war in Iraq proved there was still a place in the modern army for the Challenger II, which, unlike lighter tanks or helicopters, is able to withstand repeated attacks from rocket-propelled grenades. Charles Heyman, the editor of the leading defence publication Jane's World Armies, said: "Those tanks are amazingly versatile. Attack helicopters are brilliant, but they are the equivalent of light cavalry. They cannot do what main battle tanks can do." He pointed to the experience of the United States forces which attempted to use helicopters in place of main battle tanks: "They came a cropper because that is not what they are for."
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................................................................................................................. Copyright ©2004 Gethin Chamberlain. All rights reserved. |
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