By NNN-APP
London : The British Army may rush half-trained troops to the battlefields of Afghanistan, says a report in the Thursday edition of respected daily ‘The Times.’
According to the paper, nearly 1,000 new army recruits face having their combat training cut by half so that they can be rushed to Afghanistan.
The “exceptional” measure is being proposed by senior officers to meet a serious shortage in manpower, said the daily. It would affect those infantry battalions being earmarked to fight in the country next year.
One senior defence source admitted to the paper that the new recruits would not be properly qualified to fight since they would receive only 50 per cent of the basic training usually given to qualified combat infantrymen. He added that such a scheme could undermine the reputation of the Army.
“At present every battalion due to deploy next year is at least 100 soldiers short of the required manpower level—that is, 550 instead of 650 men.
Normally soldiers being prepared for Afghanistan spend 26-28 weeks on the Army’s combat infantry course, which has a reputation for producing some of the best infantry troops in the world.
However, to cope with the manpower shortages the combat infantry course would be cut to 14 weeks—even though senior planning officers involved in the proposal have acknowledged that there would be risks attached.
The Ministry of Defence claimed that no decisions had been made. A spokeswoman told the paper that there is no question of training being compromised.” But, she added: “We have adapted our training in terms of our operational requirement and we’re taking action in terms of the manning challenges.”
The paper say the Army has been facing serious manning shortfalls for some time. The trained strength should be 101,800 soldiers, but the current figure is 98,160, and there is little sign of the MoD reaching the required target.
Under the new form of “accelerated training”, selected recruits would be put on a fast track into the Army and on to Afghanistan. Under the scheme the recruits would also be offered a shorter engagement—less than the normal commitment of four years. In addition those accepted would have to be over 18.
But many of the infantry battalions have suffered manpower shortages, including the Paratroopers. The Defence Ministry, the paper said, has had to resort to offering generous bonuses and welfare packages, such as free phone calls home when serving overseas, to try to retain troops with combat experience.