Wednesday 21 January 2009

There's Fit and there's Army Fit (2)

MoD figures show that almost 4,000 troops are currently considered to be too unfit to be deployed on military operations. Although that's only 5% of the number of troops available to be deployed, it is still almost the equivalent of the total number of troops currently serving in Iraq and getting near to half the UK forces in Afghanistan.
The Army currently collates quarterly figures only for its deployable elements, rather than for its total trained strength. This provides snapshot figures of Personnel Unable to Deploy (PUD), though many of these will be able to undertake non-deployed duties.

The following table provides the figures for 2008 of the number of personnel recorded as unable to deploy for medical reasons.







The MoD is in the process of introducing a new and more accurate data-capture system, which will enable it to report validated, comparable data on a tri-service basis.

In the US at least 20,000 soldiers are unable to serve in the war zones because they are recuperating from long-term or minor injuries, including an increasing number suffering from stress fractures and other ailments caused by carrying too much weight in combat, according to Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the US Army's vice chief of staff.

They Work For You: Armed Forces Manpower
ArmyFit.MOD
MoD: Get fit with the Army's new fitness guide
Baltimore Sun: Number of 'non-deployable' injured soldiers is increasing