More cuts to the defence budget after the election could see the Army left with just 50,000 soldiers, a detailed analysis suggests.
The Royal United Services Institute calculated that the defence budget would be well below the 2% of GDP Nato target unless there is a significant increase in spending - something deemed unlikely in the current fiscal climate.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond yesterday insisted David Cameron was "not prepared to preside over any further cuts in our regular armed forces", although he acknowledged ministers had "very difficult decisions" to make.