Gurkhas on alert to bolster Paras' depleted infantry
Defence of the realm: Shortage of fighting fit young recruits may force Army chiefs to bring in legendary colonial regiment
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The Army is considering using the Gurkhas, its feared soldiers recruited in the mountains of Nepal, to fill gaps in the ranks of British infantry and, in particular, the Parachute Regiment.
Britain's infantry regiments, which should total 24,000 soldiers, are short of 1,200 front-line fighting men. As the Independent on Sunday revealed last week, the Paras, who are 12 per cent under strength, have a particular problem. Youngsters are not as fit as they used to be and, therefore, fewer pass the rigorous selection tests.
But the Paras may not like the solution - because the wiry Nepalese are tougher than they are and do better in the punishing 'P' Company tests, as their physique is ideal for carrying heavy loads for long distances at speed, and they have a good head for heights.
Army sources yesterday said the proposal to use soldiers from the 4,000- strong Brigade of Gurkhas was "an idea floating around the Ministry of Defence", but it makes good sense. The idea is to attach platoons (about 30 soldiers each) or companies (130 soldiers) of Gurkhas to bring British infantry battalions (about 650 soldiers) up to strength.
Unlike the other infantry regiments of the British Army, the Gurkhas have no recruiting problem: to serve in the regiment, which has been part of the British Army since 1815, is regarded as a great honour and there are hundreds of applicants for every place. But the Gurkhas' survival has been in doubt, especially in view of the imminent British withdrawal from Hong Kong. To use the Gurkhas to fill gaps in the rest of the infantry would be logical. The Gurkhas surpass the most exacting physical standards - those of the Parachute Regiment - and there were Gurkha parachute units during the Second World War.
There are currently three Gurkha battalions: one in Britain, at Church Crookham in Hampshire, one in Brunei and one in Hong Kong. There are also Gurkha Transport, Signals and Engineer regiments. The Transport Regiment is serving in Bosnia.
Next year the second and third battalions will amalgamate to form 2nd Battalion, the Royal Gurkha Rifles, leaving only two infantry battalions, both of which will be based in Britain when Hong Kong returns to Chinese rule. By that time, the Gurkhas will have shrunk from their present strength of 4,000 to 2,500.
Dr David Clark, the Labour defence spokesman, yesterday accused the Government of "mismanaging" the armed forces, resulting in the shortage of front line infantry. Michael Portillo, the Secretary of State for Defence, invoked the motto of the SAS - "who dares wins" - at the party conference this week. But it appears it is not the SAS who are coming to his rescue. The Gurkhas' motto is "Kaphar hannu bhanda marnu ramro", which means "better to die than be a coward".
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