SAS squadron at just a THIRD of its strength as veteran warns of 'national security issue'

The damning letter warned that soldiers' trust in the legal system had plummeted so steeply that it now "risks everything".

The Prime Minister was also accused of undermining the British Army by letting human rights law threaten national security, leading to a mass exodus from the special forces.

Speaking on Saturday Morning Live with Charlie Peters and Olivia Utley, Mr Parr said that the mood of the nine retired generals is reflected across the current serving personnel.

"It's reflected to the point, actually, where people feel so outraged that they're seriously considering leaving the organisation or indeed actually leaving the organisation.

"And that's represented empirically by a single statistic.

"One of the squadrons at least, is down to about one-third of its establishment strength. This is one of the four squadrons that's in the SAS.

"It's about one third of its established strength. They always run a little bit under strength but that is remarkable."

"That's a huge risk to the country," Charlie concurred.

While he further pointed part of the reason behind the exodus was fear over "vexatious" prosecutions over the years, Mr Parr added that another aspect is the "sheer operational momentum, the tempo the regiment operates at".

"But if you figure that they're losing more people than they would normally lose due to the vexatious enquiries that has to impact their operational capability of the SS operational capability is being negatively impacted.

"It is a national security issue."

Parachute Regiment Veteran Simon Barry weighed in on why the loyalty has started to corrode.

"I think because they see it as a sort of break with what people call the military covenant. The armed forces are based on loyalty, and the loyalty goes both ways.

"And once you start to corrode that loyalty, the cement that binds the whole thing together, then the organisation will start to fall apart," he warned.

"I think a lot of the generals, and I know quite a few of them, have realised that this is far more serious than people were saying just a year ago."

A Ministry of Defence spokesman told GB News: "It is a longstanding policy of successive Governments not to comment on UK Special Forces operations or capability.

"This Government has announced the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War and has set out a clear vision to ensure Britain is secure at home and strong abroad."

In the letter by the nine disgruntled generals, which was published by The Times, the retirees said: "Today every British soldier deployed must consider not only the enemy in front of them but the lawyer behind them.

"Make no mistake, our closest allies are watching uneasily, and our enemies will be rubbing their hands."

A Government spokesman said: "After the false promises of the last Government, we are putting in place six real, workable protections for veterans that the failed Legacy Act never did.

"We will not allow the process, like so many times before, to become the punishment for our veterans.

"These robust safeguards will ensure the rights of those who served their nation so honourably are protected whilst providing victims with a human rights compliant, fair, and transparent system to seek answers."

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