Army chief warns that troops are feeling 'devalued and suffering from Iraq fatigue'

The head of the Army has issued a stark warning about plummeting morale following years of overstretch and underfunding.

General Sir Richard Dannatt said that troops were feeling "devalued, angry and suffering from Iraq fatigue".

In an excoriating report, the Chief of the General Staff warns that the present level of operations is "unsustainable" and the Army is "under-manned".

The military covenant - the guarantee of a duty of care between Government and Armed Forces - is "clearly out of kilter", he says.

His scathing comments are in a report which catalogues mounting disquiet among troops over issues such as poor accommodation, food and pay.

In his report, the Army chief says operations on the two fronts of Iraq and Afghanistan are putting soldiers and their families under "great pressure", and the long-term impact is "damaging" and is "mortgaging the goodwill of our people".

Speaking about the covenant, he warns: "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."

The document goes on to reveal that experienced personnel were considering leaving the Armed Forces because of the strain on resources. It says: "The tank of goodwill now runs on vapour; many experienced staff are talking of leaving."

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Scathing: General Sir Richard Dannatt, Chief of the General Staff, has puiblished a damning report which is a 'vivid and accurate' picture of Army life

Entitled Chief of the General Staff's Briefing Team Report (2007), the findings are described by General Dannatt as a "comprehensive, vivid and accurate" picture of Army life.

It also strongly criticises the "Pay As You Dine" policy of making soldiers pay for what they eat.

It says: "There are real concerns about the new eating habits of some soldiers due to Pay As You Dine. A Pot Noodle and sandwich culture is being created and soldiers are cooking rations over gas burners in their rooms. There are apocryphal stories of soldiers flaking out during PT sessions from a lack of nutrients."

The report comes days after Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Tootal, who commanded the Paras in Afghanistan, resigned from the Army over the "shoddy" treatment of injured troops.

He was reported to have criticised levels of pay, a lack of training equipment and the appalling housing - all issues raised in General Dannatt's report.

The document is particularly critical about the quality of military accommodation. It warns: "Estates are becoming less safe and more run down."

It adds that some service families' accommodation areas have "ex-married quarters owned by housing associations, and disruptive civilian families have moved in, causing concerns over vandalism and theft".

General Dannatt also says that continued delays to military inquests are a "disgrace".

Defence Secretary Des Browne said concerns the covenant "is in any way broken are wrong". He added: "The truth is that we strive constantly to ensure that the Armed Forces have the best possible package of care."

But Tory defence spokesman Liam Fox said: "The utter disjunction between Labour's foreign and defence policies is now laid bare. What is worse is our inability to keep some of our most experienced personnel, which will have a knock-on effect that could keep the Army in crisis for years."