Even after all the years of Tony Blair,

it's hard to see how the Brits could let their forces get into this shape:
British troops “desperately” need 400 of the jumbo 0.5in calibre heavy machine guns – the weapon most acutely missed.

The Army has also run out of the 7.62mm GPMG and Minimis.
...
The crisis is having a crippling effect on training in the UK – with all available spares being rushed to war zones.

Almost HALF the Minimi Light Machine Guns used at Catterick and Brecon are also out of commission.

The report adds: “The original spares package was inadequate and usage has been far above that expected. As a result stocks are very fragile.”

Tory MP and ex-Army officer Patrick Mercer said last night: “Thank God the Army have still got their bayonets – it looks like they may be all they’ll have left. This could have been dealt with months ago.

And the response is very bullshitheartening:
Last night an MoD spokeswoman insisted: “We have enough guns for operations.

“We recognised a need to increase overall supply and took steps to address this.”
Yeah. Right.

Added to this crap:
Under plans being considered by the Army, some newly-enlisted soldiers would spend just 14 weeks on a combat infantry course instead of the normal 26-28 weeks, according to a national newspaper.

The move has been proposed because all of the battalions due to replace 52 Brigade in Afghanistan next year are currently at least 100 soldiers below required strength, the paper said.
...
The Ministry of Defence would not comment in detail on the report last night, although it admitted training had been “adapted”.

An MoD spokesman said: “There is no question of training being compromised.

“We have adapted our training in terms of our operational requirement and we are taking action in terms of the manning challenges.”
Which statement should be greeted by a hearty chorus of "Bullshit!" You can't cut training by that much and say it's been 'adapted'; you're gutting it. And troops will die because of it.
An influential group of MPs warned on Monday that the huge strains on Britain’s armed services were driving out experienced personnel and undermining morale.

The Defence Select Committee said the forces’ performance was “deteriorating” after five years of running at full stretch in Afghanistan and Iraq.

It warned that recruitment continued to be a problem for the military, with neither the army nor the RAF likely to meet their target strengths this year.

Gee, you short people on equipment and supplies, work them into the ground, treat them like crap and you can't meet recruiting goals? Gee, I wonder why.

Kim once(hell, several times) noted that it's kind of sickening watching what's happening in Britain; that's an understatement.