Not enough troops for training exercises (UK Army has canceled over 60 exercises)

[Barrett808]

Not enough troops for training exercises
By Graeme Wilson, Political Correspondent
Last Updated: 1:33am GMT 29/12/2006

The Army has been forced to cancel more than 60 training exercises in the past year amid growing concern that the armed forces are being stretched to breaking point by deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ministry of Defence figures show that 548 separate exercises had been planned but 63 – one in nine – were "suspended".

The details emerged 24 hours after Maj Gen Richard Shirreff, the Army's commander in south Iraq, warned that troops could only carry out their role if they had the proper training and support.

The Conservatives said the number of cancelled exercises would fuel concern that troops were missing out on the training needed to survive the harsh realities on the frontline in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The figures from the MoD, which the Tories obtained through a written Parliamentary question, show that 548 exercises had been scheduled between July 2005 and the end of June this year. Eleven per cent were cancelled.

(more)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/29/wafghan229.xml

[LiberalFighter]

1. Just use a computer model to grade the troops

[saigon68]

2. Nah just throw them into combat

Its cheap on the job training