Impacts of The Defence Cuts on Britain

16 soldiers are stationed in the woods around dune buggies. Drones the size of sparrows thread their way through the conifers overhead, beaming video to a phone strapped to each soldier's chest. Electronic warfare experts collect enemy messages, as a member of Britain's 77 Brigade, which specialises in psychological operations, holds a camera.

Light, high-tech, internationally deploying troops like these are at the core of a command paper released by the Ministry of Defence on March 22nd, drawing on a summary of foreign policy the previous week. The soldiers are part of a new £120 million ($165 million) "Ranger Regiment," modelled after America's Green Berets, that will train and accompany friendly foreign forces and insurgents in "high-threat and dangerous environments.

The Rangers are leading the way in a new "expeditionary stance." Troops will no longer be stationed in tents, ready to jump into action in the event of a battle, but will now be stationed in hotspots, gaining strength, and combating Russian and Chinese activity. For decades, British special forces such as the SAS have been doing this, most recently deploying covertly alongside Kurdish militia to combat Islamic State. It will be accomplished by the Rangers quite often, more publicly, and in greater numbers.

The concern is whether such "permanent and enduring global commitment" would stretch the military's capabilities. According to the report, the army's mandated strength would drop by 10,000 troops to 72,500, the lowest level since 1714. The chief of the defence staff, General Sir Nick Carter, maintains that the UK will now produce the same type of force, including the equivalent of an armoured brigade, as it did for the Iraq war 18 years prior. Adding 30,000 resources, which seem to be accessible in six months, would expand its capacity to 100,000.

In a high-end conflict, any of the latest British units would be useful. For example, the Royal Marines are evolving from conventional amphibious troops to a roving "Future Commando Army" equipped with kamikaze drones and sophisticated weapons traditionally only available to elite special forces. Last year, a company of British commandos routed a group of 1,500 American marines in a training exercise in California by infiltrating their rear areas and striking command nodes.

Other flaws exist in a smaller, nimbler, and more global army. Battle support, such as logistics, engineering, and artillery, has traditionally been managed internally by big divisional headquarters, which then delegate those enablers to smaller brigades that do the fighting.

These enablers would be moved down into new "brigade combat units" under the new proposals. The benefit is that such teams can be distributed more widely without having to focus on a cumbersome headquarters above them. The disadvantage is that enablers are scarce. “It is a less powerful warfighting system,” says Jack Watling of the Royal United Services Institute.

Last but not least, there is a concern with timing. Many of the cuts leave holes in the system that would take years to repair. Until swelling to its full height, the navy will contract. Without a comparable protected replacement or suitable long-range artillery, the removal of all 700 Warrior infantry battle vehicles leaves infantry dangerously exposed when they close with the enemy.