Our ‘can-do’ Army will deal with troop cuts, says Shapps
Defence Secretary argues people confuse size of the Service with ‘how well you are defended as a nation’
GRANT SHAPPS has defended cuts to troop numbers as he said soldiers have a “can-do” attitude.
The Defence Secretary insisted the British Army remained capable of being deployed at short notice and fulfilling its role of defending the nation regardless of its dwindling numbers.
In 2021 the Ministry of Defence announced it would cut troop numbers from 82,000 to 73,000 by 2025, its smallest size since the Napoleonic era.
In a speech at Lancaster House yesterday, in which Mr Shapps set out his future vision for defence of the UK and its allies, he said: “I often find, actually, especially just having conversations about the military, what people confuse and conflate are the precise number of troops, specifically for the Army, with how well you are defended as a nation.”
Mr Shapps added: “There are so many different elements to our deterrent, and to our military assets, which go way beyond just pure numbers.
“I find our military is incredibly capable. They are very much ‘can-do’ in attitude. We are getting the funding that they need to do the job.”
However, Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army, told The Telegraph that, while there was “no doubt” serving personnel had a “can-do” attitude, it did not make up for the fact “the British Army has never been smaller”.
“The bottom line is, numbers do matter,” he said. “It is a fact that, at 73,000, the British Army has never been smaller, and the Government has to accept there is a risk having an Army that small. What happens in future if British forces are committed on the ground? Can we sustain the operation for six to 18 months?” Mr Shapps added that in the five months since becoming Defence Secretary, there had not been a
“single deployment” for which he was not able to supply personnel when asked by Nato. He cited a recent peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, providing more support to Ukraine and sending the warship HMS Trent to Guyana at the end of last year as examples.
He also referred to Britain’s role in the Red Sea attacks last week, when RAF Typhoon jets launched Paveway IV laser-guided bombs at two Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen.
But Tobias Ellwood, the former chairman of the defence select committee, said: “However personnel numbers are interpreted, as we rightly step up to challenge an ever contested world, we are placing ever increasing demands on all three services that are increasingly overstretched. Upgrading our defence posture must therefore be addressed in the forthcoming budget.”
‘At 73,000, the Army has never been smaller, and the Government has to accept there is a risk’