Calls for defence spending boost

The UK National Defence Association (UKNDA) warned that the armed forces are "in crisis" and accused the Government of allowing military spending to fall to its lowest level since the 1930s, at just 2.3% of GDP.

Meanwhile, its report stated, ministers have committed the armed forces to five unexpected conflicts over the past decade - including Iraq and Afghanistan, the longest and most intense wars since 1945.

But the Ministry of Defence denied starving the forces of resources, insisting the military budget was experiencing "its longest period of sustained real growth for over 30 years".

The UKNDA was founded last year by ex-servicemen concerned that the Government had put defence too low in the nation's list of priorities and failed to provide the armed forces with the resources needed for the tasks they are set.

Entitled Overcoming the Defence Crisis, the report called for a 40% increase in the £33 billion core military budget over the coming three years - well above the 1.5% annual increase currently envisaged.

The Government should launch a comprehensive defence review and commit itself in principle to a spending increase on that scale, while the Conservative opposition should offer bi-partisan support for the rise, said the UKNDA.

The report warned that all three services are "so run down in numbers and equipment that a major, urgent, phased rehabilitation approach is needed". It cited Ministry of Defence surveys which it said suggested almost 50% of all ranks and reservists are considering quitting.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "Our Armed Forces are currently working very hard, continuously displaying the professionalism, bravery and excellence that make them the best in the world. That is why we are striving to provide them with the rewards and the recognition that they deserve.

"We achieve this not in isolation, but using the full range of resources available to us - the defence budget, which is experiencing its longest period of sustained real growth for over 30 years; additional Treasury funding that allows us to deliver urgent and cutting-edge equipment to theatre; and by working in partnership with other Government departments delivering key welfare support to our people in areas such as education, compensation, and access to healthcare and accommodation, in the recently launched Service Personnel Command Paper."