HALF OF BRITISH TROOPS WANT TO QUIT: SURVEY

BRITAIN'S ability to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan has been questioned as it emerged that almost half of all military personnel are ready to quit.

Half of British troops want to quit: survey
Michael Evans July 11, 2008
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The first survey of attitudes across thearmy, navy and air force, released yesterday, reveals unprecedented levels of concern over equipment, morale andpay.

The research was conducted by the Ministry of Defence and involved more than 24,000 military personnel. It found the sense of overcommitment means that 47 per cent of soldiers and army officers think regularly of resigning.

Patrick Mercer, Conservative MP for Newark and a former commanding officer, said the findings reflected the duress under which military personnel were operating. "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," he said.

The report highlights the pressures on the forces of enduring two medium-scale military campaigns simultaneously. Having soldiers return for second and third tours has affected their families.
The same sense of overstretch is reflected across all three forces, and 45per cent of those questioned admitted they were unhappy with the level of separation from family and friends.
Asked whether they regularly considered leaving, 47 per cent of soldiers and officers in the army agreed that they did. The same percentage of Royal Navy personnel agreed, as did 37 per cent in the Royal Marines and 44 per cent in the RAF. The regular army is already 5000 soldiers short, and experienced young officers are leaving at an increasing rate.
The survey was carried out between July and October last year, when 20 service personnel were killed in Afghanistan and 15 in Iraq.