British army halts some training exercises to save money, reports say

Exercises involving 90 or more troops have been suspended as the army seeks to save roughly $40 million, according to media reports. British Army Sgt. Thapa Kumar instructs U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jeffery Lamb during a joint tactical patrol at Sennelager Training Area, Germany, April 24, 2018. The U.K. has been told to scale back collective training exercises for UK-based units this year amid budget pressures, though joint exercises tied to NATO partnerships are expected to continue. (William B. King/U.S. Army) Some U.K. army units are being told to cut back on training exercises to save money, according to British media reports. Exercises involving 90 or more troops have been suspended as the army seeks to save roughly $40 million, according to The Times, which first reported the training cuts.

Units that are preparing to deploy or are assigned to quick-reaction or standby roles are exempt, Sky News reported, citing military sources. That includes troops preparing to deploy to Estonia, where the U.K. leads a NATO multinational force near the Russian border, as well as units preparing for a major NATO exercise next year. The U.K. defense ministry has not publicly detailed the cuts, but a British army spokesperson told Stars and Stripes that certain training will continue. “We are prioritizing activity that contributes most directly to readiness, deployability and