A top general in the British Army says underfunding and an "unsustainable" level of operations leaves troops "devalued, angry and suffering."

Gen. Richard Dannatt, chief of the general staff, released a report saying the Army is understaffed and overextended, leaving troops "disillusioned" with military service, The Sunday Telegraph reported Sunday.

"We must strive to give individuals and units ample recuperation time between operations, but I do not underestimate how difficult this will be to achieve whilst under-manned and with less robust establishments than I would like," Dannatt said in the report.

His Briefing Team Report says the long-term consequences of the troop commitments in Afghanistan and Iraq strain familial relationships and is "mortgaging the goodwill of our people."

Dannatt said the Army requires improvements in pay and medical services and says the military chain of command needs to address the issues if recruitment levels are expected to meet current needs.  // Copyright 2007 by United Press International




Publication date: 18 November 2007   

Source:

Archive