The Gurkhas have formed part of the British army for almost 200 years, but may be among those cut unless the government meets Ministry of Defense demands for more money to fund the replacement of Trident nuclear-missile submarines. [break]
Last night, hopes for extra funding were fading as the Treasury rejected demands for more money from the defense secretary, Liam Fox, and insisted that the £20bn cost of replacing Trident had to be met fully by the MoD.
One expert said that the increasing costs of running the Gurkhas - following actress Joanna Lumley´s high-profile campaign last year to improve their rights - added to the sense that the "writing is on the wall" for the Brigade of Gurkhas, which has 3,640 personnel.
Fox has been pushing hard for the Treasury to increase the MoD´s budget in some of the toughest negotiations of the spending review, aimed at slashing Britain´s £155bn deficit.
Last night the MoD conceded that, given the financial pressures, "anything is possible" regarding the Gurkhas and other regiments. Defense experts said it was a cruel irony that Lumley´s campaigning - which led to retired Gurkhas being given the right to settle in the UK - had made the Nepalese soldiers more vulnerable.
With Nick Clegg and other Lib Dem ministers in the government under increasing pressure to prove to party supporters that they are influencing policy, the issue of Trident has been the focus of an ideological, as a well as a financial, tussle.
Clegg, who believes that the Trident replacement is a waste of money, knows that he will be in a far stronger position at the party´s annual conference next month if he is seen fighting to abandon - or at least downgrade - the Trident project.
The issue has also opened divisions within the Tory party. While Fox is said to be seeking a full Trident replacement, chancellor George Osborne and even David Cameron are said to be questioning whether this would offer good value for money.
Another defense insider said that - despite their fame and public following - the Gurkhas had long been a candidate for cuts. "Ever since 1 January 1948, when the Brigade of Gurkhas joined the British army, their future has been up for discussion. They have been here before."
A spokesman for the Gurkha Welfare Trust, which provides support for ex-Gurkhas and their families, conceded that they were vulnerable. He said: "The government has made it clear there are no sacred cows."
Patrick Mercer, a Tory MP and a former army officer, said: "The first people to go will be the Brigade of Gurkhas, probably in their entirety. In the past, the Gurkhas´ existence was guaranteed by the fact they are cheaper to run than British troops, and that there was a shortage of British troops.
"Recent changes mean they are now just as expensive, and recruitment is extremely healthy at the moment. I am afraid the writing is on the wall."
Lumley´s triumph last year had, according to Mercer, piled costs on to the running of the Gurkhas. Nepalese soldiers who move to Britain will be entitled to full pensions, whereas those in Nepal receive around a third of what former British soldiers get.
The increased cost of the Gurkhas comes as homegrown recruitment soars, to the extent that more than 5,000 potential troops were turned away during the last year because the army was considered to be fully manned.
Last week, quarterly MoD figures showed that the armed forces as a whole were close to being 100% manned for the first time since 1998.
The Gurkhas have been an integral part of the army since 1815, when the British East India Company signed a peace deal allowing it to recruit Nepalese soldiers.
Professor Malcolm Chalmers of the Royal United Services Institute said that army manpower would have to be reduced and the Gurkhas´ future would depend on whether they were perceived to have an important future role, rather than relying on sentiment.
Chalmers, who said in a recent report that the number of trained military personnel could shrink by up to a fifth to 142,000 in six years because of a lack of money, added: "The most important thing is to determine what capabilities are our highest priority for future defense needs - not for past associations.
"The Gurkhas have performed well - issues around Gurkhas versus UK recruitment forces are issues of quality of personnel and ability to recruit in the future."
Other regiments at risk are said to include a tank regiment and a Scottish battalion - such as the Black Watch or the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
Big-ticket items are also to be re-evaluated, including two new 65,000-tonne aircraft carriers - which are to come into service in 2016 and 2018 - and the RAF´s Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.
Reaction at home
It would be against the tripartite treaty reached among the UK, India and Nepal on November 9, 1947. According to the treaty, the UK will continue recruiting Gurkha soldiers.
As the treaty does not categorically stipulate until when UK should continue to recruit Gurkhas, it should continueit implies an eternal process. The UK can not, as per the treaty, suddenly say no to it. The UK´s move might have targeted at weakening our campaign for equal rights.
Prem Rai
Chairman,
United British Gurkha Ex-Servicemen Association of Nepal (UBGESAN)
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The UK has downsized its army strength even in the past. The UK army had sent back around 1,000 soldiers in December of 1997 as well. I was also among them. It is mulling over downsizing 700-900 soldiers this time around. It means that the Brigade of Gurkhas will be axed, too. There´s no need to create hue and cry over it.
It would not be against the tripartite treaty as long as the UK does not halt recruiting Gurkhas. The UK can decide about stopping Gukha recruitment only after getting Nepal´s consent. And, our government is clearly not for stopping the recruitment.
Tul Bahadur Pun
Vice President,
Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen´s Organization (GAESO)
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