A third of British forces 'not ready for action'

A THIRD of Britain's overstretched armed forces would struggle to be ready for action because of the country's heavy military commitments, a damning parliamentary report has concluded.

Last night, it also emerged that the government has spent £100 million on private security firms in Iraq - prompting calls for the money to be spent instead on the army, air force and navy.

The new report warns of serious or critical weaknesses to peacetime readiness levels in 30 per cent of Britain's armed forces because in five of the last six years troops have had to take on far more work than military planners previously envisaged.

There is also fresh criticism of the way the Ministry of Defence equips its troops. The report highlights "worrying signs of strain on equipment", warns that the MoD is yet to prove it can keep track of the items that it sends into the theatre of operations and questions the reliance on cannibalising equipment to produce enough working pieces.

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