General Sir Roger Wheeler, Chief of the General Staff, told The Times that manpower pressures are pushing the government to reduce its troops in the UK's Balkan peacekeeping commitment. He said this was to ensure that the Army remains "sustainable".

Defence Secretary George Robertson said in July that the troops in Kosovo were being reduced from more than 11,000 to 5,000 by the end of the year, and the Bosnia deployment to 2,000 soldiers by the end of the year.

Sir Roger told the newspaper this would remain a "long-term commitment".

Sir Roger: "The Army is 6,000 under-strength"

He said the UK's readiness to cope with various security threats risked being compromised by the 96,000-strong Army being overstretched.

Renewed tension in Northern Ireland had further increased the pressure on the Army, and "while the terrorists retain their capability - and there's no decommissioning - we have to do the same".

Military experts warned in June that the UK's armed forces may not be able to take the strain of a prolonged peacekeeping operation in Kosovo.

A UK Harrier pilot prepares for take-off

A shortfall in military men and women may lead to reinforcements from the territorial army, but it too has undergone radical cuts over the past few years.

But it is not just numbers that are low - soldiers' morale is said to have taken a dive with leave being cut short due to lack of numbers.

Paul Beaver, spokesman for Jane's Defence Weekly, told BBC News Online in May that a major complaint is that many soldiers are not seeing enough of their spouses and children.