UK-Defence
Britain's ability to sustain two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has been called into question by the
publication of a new survey showing that almost half of the country's military personnel are ready to quit.
Nearly 50 per cent of the army, navy and air force said that they do not "feel valued," according to the survey conducted by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
More than one in two of the armed forces were extremely unhappy with the state of their equipment and 47 per cent of soldiers and army officers think "regularly" of handing in their resignations.
Responding to the findings of the first survey to assess attitudes across the three services, Conservative MP Patrick Mercer, a former commanding officer, said they reflected the duress under which military personnel were operating.
"I think the tempo of operations has produced such a level of stress on the families that it is no wonder so many are thinking of leaving," Mercer said.
Many of those questioned highlighted the pressures of fighting on two fronts, while 45 per cent said they were not happy with the level of separation from friends and family.
More than a third of all respondents said their life was either worse or much worse than what they expected when they first joined up.
The survey, carried out last summer, showed that 17 per cent of soldiers were currently on operational tours, 13 per cent of the navy and only 5 per cent of the air force were on active duty
Asked whether the frequency of tours had an impact on whether to leave the services, 47 per cent of the army said that it made no difference, but 38 per cent said it increased their intentions to leave.
Armed Forces Minister Derek Twigg said that since the survey of more than 24,000 troops was conducted, the government had
"implemented a number of important changes, such as the recent pay rise, an adjustment to the operational bonus."
"Over the next 10 years, we are also spending pnds 8.4 billion (dlrs 16 bn) on accommodation, an area that is a high priority," Twigg also said.
