Apollo11
Posts: 24082
Joined: 6/7/2001
From: Zagreb, Croatia
Status: offline
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Hi all,
Oh my... 
quote:
More generals than tanks! Anger over bloated army which is stuffed with penpushers
By DailyMail UK
- Three times more officers than Apache helicopters
- Claims lack of capacity is hitting troops' morale
The Army has more top brass than battle tanks, alarming statistics have revealed.
There are 256 brigadiers and generals but just 200 Challenger II tanks, according to the figures uncovered by a former senior military intelligence officer.
It also emerged there are three times more senior officers than Apache attack helicopters, which play a vital role in Afghanistan.
Alarming: New figures have found there are more than 250 brigadiers and generals in the British Army but there are just 200 active Challenger tanks:
The disturbing imbalances were discovered by Frank Ledwidge, who served on the frontline in Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo.
‘Our priorities are hugely skewed,’ he said. ‘The British Army is over-burdened and over-staffed with senior ranks.
‘We need to think about cutting top brass and the focus now should be on our conflicts rather than promotion.’
He believes retaining so many one-star generals and above earning £100,000-a-year plus while cutting spending is devastating morale in the Armed Forces.
One tank officer said: ‘When the MoD is making large cuts to equipment and personnel, the troops are rightly going to question why we need to retain so many well-paid senior officers living a good life.’
The Royal Navy is suffering a similar plight with more admirals than active warships, according to an 2008 study.
Following the recent defence cuts, the senior service now has just 20 fighting surface ships, which are destroyers and frigates.
Rare sight: The Army has three times more senior officers than it does Apache attack helicopters:
Mr Ledwidge’s figures were gleaned from official statistics and published in his new book Losing Small Wars: British Military Failure in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He claims only around 200 of the UK’s force of 350 Challenger II main battle tanks are in service, with the others in storage.
It was reported this year that the number of tanks in operation could fall as low as 50 as the Ministry of Defence looks to make £4.7billion of budget cuts. It also needs to eliminate a £38billion deficit in the equipment programme.
At a peak during World War Two, Britain produced more than 30,000 tanks. The Challenger II main battle tank is considered the most complex vehicle in the nation’s arsenal.
The Royal Tank Regiment – the world’s oldest tank unit – has been at the forefront of armoured warfare since the vehicles were used to smash through First World War German trenches in 1917.
Challenger IIs were used in Iraq in 2003 but the difficult terrain of Afghanistan means they have not been deployed there.
Instead, the regiment has transferred its skills to a new range of more manoeuvrable armoured vehicles, including Mastiffs and Warthogs, in the fight against the Taliban.
The Army currently has more than 3,000 armoured vehicles.
The MoD believes the Army can cope with fewer tanks as traditional heavy warfare will be replaced by more counter-insurgency campaigns, such as in Afghanistan.
Last night the MoD said the number of senior officers had dropped slightly from the figures obtained this year by Mr Ledwidge.
A spokesman said: ‘As we restructure for the future, we are reducing the number of senior officers, which currently stands at about 230.
‘Modern armies require more than just tanks. Operations require a range of armoured vehicles.’
Under the spending cuts, the Armed Forces will lose at least 22,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen within four years, more than ten per cent of their number.
The Navy was ordered to axe HMS Ark Royal and retire the fleet of Harrier jump jets.
The RAF was forced to send its new Nimrod MRA4 maritime surveillance aircraft to the wreckers’ yard.
Leo "Apollo11"
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 Prior Preparation & Planning Prevents Pathetically Poor Performance! A & B: WitW, WitE, WbtS, GGWaW, GGWaW2-AWD, HttR, CotA, BftB, CF P: UV, WitP, WitP-AE
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