According to the report, the survey, which was conducted between July and October last year by the Ministry of Defense and involved more than 24,000 military personnel, revealed that 47 percent of soldiers and army officers think regularly of handing in their resignations.
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British soldiers take a break after a conducting a patrol to secure the area during a medical assistance in Kabul Feb. 26, 2008. About half of all British military personnel were ready to quit from the army.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) |
The same percentage of Royal Navy personnel considered leaving; along with 37 percent in the Royal Marines and 44 percent in the Royal Air Force, said the survey.
The findings highlighted the pressures on the Armed Forces of enduring two medium-scale military campaigns simultaneously.
The survey also showed unprecedented levels of concern over equipment, morale and pay.
Andrew Walker, the assistant deputy coroner for Oxford shire, has attacked the MoD many times during soldiers' inquests for failing to provide enough of the right equipment to protect the troops.
According to the report, the research revealed contrasts in morale.
Individual personnel appeared to enjoy high morale, but the perception of morale as a whole in their particular Service was poor.
In the Army, 59 percent of those questioned rated the level of morale as "low" or "very low." In the Royal Navy, it was 64 percent and the Royal Marines 38 percent. The worst perception of morale was in the RAF, where 72 percent of those asked thought that morale was low.
Patrick Mercer, Conservative MP for Newark and a former commanding officer, said that the findings reflected the duress under which military personnel were operating.
"I think the tempo of operations has produced such a level of stress on the families that it is no wonder so many are thinking of leaving," he said.
The MoD said that the research had revealed "areas of concern." It said that a number of measures had been introduced, including tax-free operational allowances for those serving six-month tours and pointed out that about two-thirds of the personnel surveyed thought that the current frequency of operational tours was "about right or not enough."
