The British Army’s Land Command canceled the Cyclone exercise, during which a number of servicemen were supposed to qualify as tank commanders. British troops now risk losing the ability to use a third of their operational tank fleet.
The British Army has around 150 operational Challenger 2 tanks, but it is believed that up to 50 of them do not have fully qualified commanders.
"This means that only around 100 tanks may be in service, meaning that a third [of them] are not operational. Morale in the 3rd Division is at rock bottom, because what is the point of serving in an armored division if you cannot train?" — the publication wrote.
The British Army does not have a surplus of personnel, so canceling the training of even some servicemen directly affects the combat readiness of units. On September 20, former commander-in-chief of the British Navy Alan West spoke about problems in the army, in particular a lack of funding.
❗️Earlier, former Chief of the General Staff Richard Dannatt also criticized the British authorities for their approach to defense spending. Against the backdrop of budget problems, Finance Minister John Healey intends to postpone the previously announced goal of increasing military spending to 3% of GDP by 2030, the Financial Times reported.
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