Support Our British Troops ... ???

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To whom it may concern:

(Now that Blair's buggered of and left our serving lads & lasses in the lurch.)

Here's hoping that some of those who most certainly should support our troops, and are unarguably most able (and obliged) to do so, see several stories such as shown below.

Then, of course, that they act accordingly; forthwith -- or before.

Call over armed forces shortages

The overall shortfall stood at 5,850 in April - up from 5,170 in 2006

There are not enough servicemen and women to meet the demands placed on the UK armed forces by the situations in Afghanistan and Iraq, MPs have said.

The Commons public accounts committee said the overall shortfall in personnel stood at 5,850, or 3.2%, of full strength in April.

Numbers leaving early reached a 10-year peak in some areas, the report said.

(snip)

"The MoD has been relying for too long on the goodwill and courageous spirit of our servicemen and women to compensate for the increasing shortages of personnel in all three services," he said.

"The staffing situation has reached the point where there are simply not enough service people to meet levels of military activity planned some years ago - let alone the heightened demands now being placed on them by commitments such as the Iraq and Afghanistan operations."

Read the rest of that report right here.

If you wonder what sort of statements said soldiers in question are making -- scroll (slowly) past this (in)famous 'Brits in flames' photo, to the quick clip and link underneath.

Frontline tales of forces shortages

Britain's armed forces have staff shortages of almost 6,000 people, leaving personnel overstretched and the services unable to meet the demands placed on them by deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan, an MPs report has warned.

The Commons public accounts committee said heavy workloads, frequent overseas deployment and the knock-on effects on family life were making it hard for the armed forces to retain staff.

Some of those affected by the shortages have described the impact on their daily lives:

Hit it here to see what servicemen themselves are saying.

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