The army is shrinking even faster than the politicians who habitually starve it of resources would wish. Britain is ceasing to be a credible military power
Kaiser Wilhelm II was said to have issued an order to his troops as they steamrollered through Belgium on their way to France in 1914. They should concentrate their energies, he decreed, on exterminating the “treacherous English” and crush their “contemptible little army”. The German emperor was referring to the British Expeditionary Force. Tiny in comparison with the vast conscript armies of continental Europe, this professional force was at that moment some 100,000-strong.
Its veterans would treat his insult as an ironic source of pride, hence their nickname of the Old Contemptibles. Would that the British army of today matched the size of the valiant little expeditionary force.
Analysis by this newspaper suggests that within two years the army will have fewer than 70,000 soldiers and the decline will continue as departures outstrip recruitment. If nothing is done to stem the tide of resignations and encourage young people to join up, the service could be 52,000-strong in a decade, small enough to fit inside Manchester City’s stadium. The government’s decision to reduce the army to 72,500 by 2025 — which has so alarmed American generals — is being overtaken by events. It now appears to be on an unstoppable downward trajectory that could result in Britain losing its credibility as a military power and force for good in an uncertain world.