AFP, LONDON (AFP) Oct 28, 2003-Britain's armed forces, facing an unprecedented financial crisis, could be forced to make drastic cuts that would imperil future military operations, a British newspaper said Tuesday.
The Ministry of Defence was negotiating with Britain's finance ministry, known as the Treasury, what it called “adjustments” to this year's 31-billion-pound (52.5-billion-dollar, 44.8-billion-euro) budget, The Guardian said.
“The MOD (Ministry of Defence) thought it had more money than it did,” said a government source quoted in the newspaper.
Pressure on the defence ministry will further increase as the bills come in for long-term projects such as the Royal Air Force's Eurofighter and two additional aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy, The Guardian said.
The RAF is almost certain to have to cancel a third of the 232 Eurofighters it has said it needs, the newspaper said.
