UK military to unveil shift towards hi-tech warfare as cuts bite

Britain's military will unveil a shift towards more lethal, hi-tech and drone-enabled warfare on Monday as ministers and chiefs attempt to stave off criticism of impending cuts in the size of the armed forces. The plan will be highlighted in a defence command paper setting out the military's ambitions for the next five years and confirming a cut in the size of the army to an anticipated 72,500 troops, and a string of other savings as day-to-day defence budgets are squeezed. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, said on Friday it was time to end "the Top Trumps game of numbers" because previous reviews that had emphasised size had left the military with "lots of ships that are tied up and not available, or lots of regiments". Instead, ministers and service chiefs will highlight how forces such as the Royal Marines could use a mobile phone app to locate friends and enemies on a battlefield while using Ghost drones, 6ft-long single-blade helicopter-like devices that can highlight and even fire at targets. Gen Sir Nick Carter, the head of the armed forces, said that "rather than focus on size and shape, I would focus on lethality, the relevance, the resilience and the readiness of our army and our armed forces."