More than ten thousand British soldiers are unfit for frontline duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, The Telegraph has learnt.
Senior officers fear that the cumulative effect of "tour fatigue" – the pressure of supplying troops to combat zones continuously for over five years – is beginning to take its toll on the Army.
The MoD admits that 8,500 soldiers from the 59,000-strong "Field Army", which is composed of operationally deployable units such as tank, artillery and infantry regiments, are classified as unfit to serve at the front.
When the remaining members of the 101,800-strong Army are taken into account, the figure is likely to be in excess of 10,000.
Every one of the Army's 36 infantry battalions is affected.