SAS hero backs smaller Army as service bears brunt of cuts

The former soldier, now a best-selling author, said it would be up to military commanders to get the best out of the resources they had following yesterday’s announcement of 3,800 redundancies across the Armed Forces.

He also said it was likely that some Army battalions would be amalgamated while retaining their historic cap badges.

Speaking exclusively to the Yorkshire Post, McNab said: “The fact of the matter is whether we like it or not there are going to be defence cuts. From a military point of view they have got no control over it and what they have got to do is manage the assets they have been given.

“I was in Afghanistan with 2 Rifles a couple of months ago and the standard of equipment now from what it used to be is absolutely stunning. If smaller resources are being more focused it can only be a good thing, but there still needs to be continuous recruitment.”

He added: “Every time this happens there are people that are happy with it and people who are unhappy, but once you get one generation of soldiers going through the new system it’s as if the old system didn’t exist.”

McNab, who also works as a security consultant, described the situation in Syria as “outrageous” and said plans for military intervention would be under way, despite the lack of political will to implement them.

He said: “We are a small player in it, America are very wary about getting involved and you’ve got Russia, which is the major player. It becomes part of a big power play and the people who suffer are the people stuck in the middle.

“There’s always a military option and that’s the planning and preparation and people within Government don’t want to get caught out in it. There will be exercises now to see what would happen just in case.”

More than 1,000 forces personnel were informed yesterday that they must quit the services as part of efforts to control defence spending.

About 30 per cent of the total redundancies are compulsory, with the bulk coming from the Army in the second tranche of forces redundancies.

The Ministry of Defence said there was still “some way to go to bring the size of the Army down to 82,000” and decisions on how to achieve those cuts “are yet to be taken”.

Volunteers will leave by December 11, with compulsory redundancies taking effect in a year’s time.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: “Of course I regret that it has been necessary to make redundancies to deliver our plans for reducing the size of the Armed Forces.

“We inherited a multibillion-pound black hole in the defence budget which had meant the previous Government had not been able to afford to properly equip our troops with the kit they needed.

“We’ve now brought the defence budget back into balance for the first time in a generation. We will have smaller armed forces but we will ensure they will have the protection and equipment they need.”

The MoD said further details of which units would be affected by the redundancies would be revealed in four to six weeks.

McNab was speaking after opening a new library in Brigg, during which he extolled the virtues of literacy and learning.

He said: “I’m obviously a big fan of libraries for many reasons; they’ve got books in. As a 16-year-old boy soldier I had the numeracy and literacy of an 11-year-old, now I write for newspapers.

“It all changed when I got in the Army. After three months we all got marched off to the Army education centre and they said you’re not thick, the only reason you can’t read is because you don’t read. That’s what these buildings are all about - it gives you that involvement, it gives you a bigger outlook and an education.”