Territorial Army personnel now to pay for their own Afghan training

Published 15th Oct 2009

Labour was accused of risking the lives of Territorial Army soldiers last night after axing their training for the next six months to save money.

Reservists across Britain will see their exercises cut or be told to pay their own way in order to save a paltry £20million.

Soldiers who are due to deploy to the frontline in Afghanistan next year have been told the Government will not pay for any more combat training until April.

Senior officers warned last night that the decision will cost lives because Britain's 'weekend warriors' will fall behind in their preparations for combat with the Taliban.

Serving TA soldiers predicted that units will disband, thousands of reservists will quit and recruitment will dry up, rendering the TA a shadow of its former self.

General Patrick Cordingley, commander of the Desert Rats during the first Gulf War, said: 'At a time when the Army in Afghanistan is heavily dependent on territorials it seems extraordinary to cut funds for training.

'It is hardly an incentive to join up if you know there's no money for training. These

days it's difficult to differentiate between regular and territorial soldiers in the field. They're absolutely essential.'

Shadow Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox said: 'This cut in training is a slap in the face for all our brave Territorials from a Government that has lost the plot when it comes to priorities.

'A Government willing to spend £12billion on a pointless VAT cut to support its political reputation, but unwilling to spend £20million to train the TA while we are at war in Afghanistan, has a twisted set of priorities.'

Tory MP Mark Lancaster, a serving Major in the TA, warned that recruitment and retention of TA soldiers would suffer.

He predicted that one in six - around 6,000 - would quit.

He said: 'One third of the TA joins or leaves every year so if you stop training for six months it's likely you'll lose a sixth of personnel straight off. This is a bitter blow to morale. It's a terrible decision.'

A senior Army officer said: 'I can understand why people are absolutely furious. It will significantly curtail activity. Skill levels will undoubtedly drop.'

The dismay in Army ranks is all the worse because the Territorial Army has become an integral part of recent military operations, with 18,000 reservists serving in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003.

Some 650 are in Afghanistan now and as recently as April 2,000 were on the frontline in Helmand and Iraq.

A total of £54million of cuts were forced on Army chiefs but the axe will fall first on the TA. Tory leader David Cameron confronted Gordon Brown at Prime Minister's Questions, saying it was 'totally unacceptable' that basic training was being slashed.

MoD officials made clear that in some parts of the country TA training will be axed altogether, and that includes soldiers due to go to the frontline next year.

A leaked paper revealed: ' Activities not directly in support of operations will stop or be severely curtailed. This will mean that TA soldiers who have not been warned to go on operations will suspend all training until April 10.'

An MoD official said: 'Some units will have no drill nights. Others will ask people to come in voluntarily.

It will be up to each unit to decide what to do.'

Since territorial soldiers are paid at least £33 a day for training sessions, that is tantamount to asking them to fund the costs of travel, food and kit for their own training.

Reservists are also concerned that they will not be able to accumulate the necessary exercises this year to receive a £1,500 tax-free 'bounty' paid to those who keep up their training.

Mr Brown insisted that troops being sent to Afghanistan were 'properly resourced and will continue to be properly resourced'.

Those due to deploy to Helmand will get six months of 'theatre specific' training.

But last night there were grave doubts that it would be enough to prepare them for the frontline. A serving member of the TA told the Mail: 'People will die because of this decision.'

The TA officer - who cannot be named for security reasons - said: 'If TA men are not up to speed they will be a risk to themselves and the regulars they are working with.'

An MoD spokesman stated: 'These are challenging times and we have to live within our means.'

The British cuts came as it was revealed that General Stanley McChrystal, the top Nato commander in Afghanistan, told the White House he needed 80,000 more troops to fight the Taliban.

Source: ' Daily Mail '

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