British Army reserves almost non-existent -report

LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) Britain has almost no reserve troops to support operations in Iraq or Afghanistan or meet unexpected emergencies, the head of the British Army said according to a newspaper report today.

With 5,500 troops based in southern Iraq and 7,100 fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, Britain has just 500 troops -- called the Spearhead Lead Element -- available for emergency deployment.

''Our reserves to meet the unexpected (as well as for current operations) are now almost non-existent,'' said General Sir Richard Dannatt in a leaked memo obtained by the Daily Telegraph.

While the current situation was ''manageable'', Dannatt said he was concerned for the British Army's future operational capability.

''The enduring nature and scale of operations continues to stretch people,'' added Dannatt. ''It's difficult to predict the long-term effect of this level of pressure on people and it's critical that we improve manning as quickly as we can.

''Although this is partly about recruiting, it's also to do with improving retention. People are more likely to stay if we look after them properly.'' While echoing Dannatt's view the current situation was manageable the Ministry of Defence said the government was always ready to review manning levels.

''We've already stated publicly that if the current tempo of operations continues at this pace, we'll have to revisit our planning assumptions.

''We're certainly not complacent about the longer-term implications, which we're acutely aware of and are addressing.'' Dannatt caused a storm in October when he said post-war planning for the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq was poor and that British troops should leave Iraq soon because their presence was worsening security.

Britain announced last week it would withdraw 500 of its 5,500 troops in Iraq within weeks and then assess how soon it could remove the remainder of its forces there.

REUTERS SV RK1340