Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army, said Britain’s ‘operational readiness’ could be damaged if the cuts are made
The British Army could be reduced to just 50,000 soldiers - its smallest size in 250 years - a report has warned.
Troop numbers are already being slashed from 102,000 to 82,000, but a report from the Royal United Services Institute suggests this number could be cut yet again by a further 30,000.
The report says the cuts could be made after the election as part of a continuing austerity drive and because of a lack of commitment from any of the major parties to protect defence spending.
Professor Malcolm Chalmers, the report’s author and special adviser to the parliamentary joint committee on national security strategy, said: “The government is not yet convinced that strategic security risks are high enough to justify an exemption for defence from austerity.”
Lord Dannatt, the former head of the Army, said Britain’s ‘operational readiness’ could be damaged.
He said: “We do not need a huge army but we certainly need an army that enables us to secure our homeland and our international interests.”
PM David Cameron is now facing a battle with his own Tory backbenchers after refusing to rule out more cuts.
Up to 30 MPs are set to revolt this week by demanding the UK keeps its NATO pledge to maintain the MoD budget at 2% of GDP.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond yesterday refused to say the promise will be honoured.
He said: “We will have a strategic defence and security review at the beginning of the next parliament.”
Some MPs fear Britain can not confront the “menace” of Putin if the Government cuts defence. Tory MP John Baron is leading the Tory rebellion, saying cuts would be a “grave mistake".