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UK regiments already serviced 5 tours of duty in Iraq, Afghanistan

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, May 13, IRNA
UK-Defense
Two British regiments have so far served five tours of duty on Iraq and Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Des Browne has revealed.

Units from another four regiments have also been deployed a total of four times in the two war theaters, while 38 have served so far served two tours of duties and 20 one each, Browne said in a written parliamentary reply published Tuesday.

The frequency of six-month tours underlines the extent of the overstretched armed forces at a time when Britain is taking on the extra commitment of sending a battalion of 600 troops to Kosovo this month to help maintain public order in the newly independent state.

"Whilst operations have been continuing in Iraq and Afghanistan, units will also have been covering endorsed standing Military tasks such as commitments in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, the Balkans and the Falkland Islands," Brown also said.

On Tuesday, Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth further announced a new call-out order to increase the number of reservists from 35 to over 250 to be deployed as part of the UK's contribution to the United Nations forces in Cyprus.

Britain has already relied heavily on reservists as an integral part of its military operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan due to shortages in manpower.

According to the latest official figures, Britain had a total of 14,410 troops deployed on overseas operations at the end of an April, including 4,000 in Iraq and 8,900 in Afghanistan, which has been temporarily boosted by 2,000 troops during a handover period.

The frequency of tours of duty has led to concern about breaching the British Army's Harmony Guidelines, which recommend that military units achieve at least a 24 months break between each six month operational tour.

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