Britain Struggling To Send 3,000 More Troops

The call for more troops caught the armed forces cold with most rapid deployment forces on long-term leave after months in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Commanders could normally send paratroopers or Royal Marine commandos very swiftly to reinforce any operational deployment but a series of operations culminating in the Iraq war has meant they are not ready.

Not only have British soldiers fought gruelling campaigns in the Balkans, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq over the past four years, they have also had to cope with the foot and mouth crisis and the firemen's strikes.