We're running out of troops, warns head of the Army

General Sir Richard Dannatt made his dire assessment in a letter to high-ranking commanders, saying that reinforcements - should they be required - are 'now almost non-existent'.

General Dannatt, who is well-known for his outspoken comments, issued a private memo declaring that 'we have almost no capability to react to the unexpected'.

He said that the Army is understrength by 3,500 troops and that only one battalion of 500 troops - known as the 'spearhead lead element' - is immediately available to deal with emergencies such as a terrorist attack.

Britain's second back-up unit - the Airborne Task Force, formed around the Parachute Regiment - was unable to deploy fully 'due to shortages in manpower, equipment and stocks'.

In his letter, which was leaked to the Daily Telegraph and the BBC, General Dannatt said: 'Our reserves to meet the unexpected (as well as for current operations) are now almost non-existent. It's difficult to predict the long-term affect of this level of pressure on people.

'It is critical that we improve manning as quickly as we can.'

Liam Fox, the Tory Defence spokesman, said the lack of reserves was 'an appalling situation and damning indictment' of the way the Government treated the Armed Forces.

'They are being asked to carry out tasks for which they are neither funded nor equipped.

'There is an urgent need to review our strategic approach because we cannot continue over-stretching our Forces.'

The emergence of the memo comes shortly after Defence Secretary Des Browne's announcement on Thursday that 500 UK troops will be withdrawn from Iraq this winter, leaving 5,000 personnel on the ground.

There are also 6,000 troops in Afghanistan, mainly in the volatile Helmand region, where the Taliban has experienced a resurgence. General Dannatt estimates 13,000 are needed in both countries combined.

In total there are just over 100,000 servicemen and women in the Army - of which around a quarter are frontline infantry troops.

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Three RAF servicemen killed in a rocket attack in Iraq earlier this week were named today by the MoD.

Matthew Caulwell, 22, and Peter McFerran, 24, from 1 Squadron RAF Regiment, and Christopher Dunsmore, 29, of 504 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment - all Senior Aircraftsmen - died on Thursday when the Contingency Operating Base in Basra came under fire.

The three RAF servicemen were resting from their duties protecting aircraft operating from Basra Airport, where the Contingency Operating Base is situated, when they were killed instantly by a rocket attack during the afternoon.

SAC Caulwell from Birmingham had served with 1 Squadron since 2002. Squadron Leader Jason Sutton, 1 Squadron's commanding officer, said: "Better known to the Squadron as 'Lip', he was a true character known for his outgoing, gregarious nature."

SAC McFerran, from Connahs Quay in Flintshire, north Wales was the heavy machine gun operator for his unit. He had followed his father into the RAF Regiment in 2004.

Sqn Ldr Sutton added: "He was utterly dependable and as his Squadron commander I knew I could rely on him."

SAC Dunsmore, an engaged man from Leicester, had been a member of 504 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment at RAF Cottesmore for four years. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mr Browne is attempting to deal with the situation, and this week gave his backing to a report by MPs which called on Nato countries to supply more troops.

This is not the first time Genmenteral Dannatt has voiced concerns about the Armed Forces being over-stretched.

A few weeks after starting his job last year, he exclusively told the Daily Mail that the military was 'running hot'.

He said he was 'very concerned about the longer-term implications of the impact of this level of operations on our people, equip-and future operational capability'.

There have also been concerns about the lack of working helicopters, particularly in Afghanistan.

A spokesman for the Ministry Of Defence said: 'We have made no secret of the fact that the Armed Forces are working hard.

'The situation in respect of current operations remains manageable. We have already stated publicly that if the current tempo of operations continues at this pace, we will have to revisit our planning assumptions.

'In recent months, we have drawn down our force levels in a number of operations.

'The Armed Forces' mission in Northern Ireland will end on July 31 and we withdrew the bulk of our forces from Bosnia-Herzegovina earlier this year.

'Only yesterday we announced that we will reduce further our force levels in Iraq by 500.

'We are certainly not complacent about the longer term implications, which we are acutely aware of and are addressing.'