HAIL, BRITANNIA: Medical issues affect British army readiness as one in five soldiers — about 18,000 — is unable to participate in full combat situations.

Conservative Member of Parliament, Andrew Bowie, a former naval officer, uncovered the figures through a written response to a parliamentary question.

“I think these figures are very worrying,” Bowie told The Independent. “Far from the 82,000 soldiers that the British army is supposed to have, it seems that, when medically unavailable soldiers are taken into account, it is more like 60,000.

“This gap is placing a huge burden on an already overstretched Army required to carry out the roles the government asks them to do on our behalf.”

For perspective on the size of today’s army, Britain suffered almost 60,000 casualties on the first day of the Somme.