BRITAIN’S ability to fight in Afghanistan could be damaged through cuts to its Army Cadet Force, says a Bournemouth MP.

Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood says that the cuts could lead to a shortage of army recruits in five or ten years time.

The Army Cadet Force, which celebrates its 150 anniversary in 2010, had £4 million slashed from its £40m annual budget in October halfway through the financial year.

Mr Ellwood, a former army officer and member of the Territorial Army, said the Army Cadet Force was “a critical part in introducing people to the armed forces”.

He said: “The worry is that we are fighting a war. The recruits that sign up today may be needed in five to ten years time. Who knows where we will be then. We could still be in Afghanistan. It’s very dangerous for Britain which claims to have the best armed forces in the world if we are not able to keep that form of recruitment going.

“This government needs to wake up to the fact that the only way to win the war is to have a good armed force.”

Annette Geyser, public relations officer for the Dorset Army Cadet Force, said only the dedication of volunteers had prevented the effect of funding cuts being passed to the county’s cadets.

“At the moment the cuts haven’t affected us but that’s simply because of the people who are involved. They are still training, even though they aren’t receiving a reward.

“But if there are funding cuts next year, I don’t know if they will carry on,” said Mrs Geyser.

The young mum joined the former Kemp Welch detachment of the ACF over two decades ago and said a recent on-line petition had brought praise for the unit from former colleagues.

“I have been in the cadet force for over 20 years and so have many others. When I started a petition on Facebook, I received emails from people saying that if it wasn’t for the cadet force they would be on drugs or in prison.

“The ACF gives young people something that maybe missing from their lives. It gives them role models and teaches them right from wrong,” said Mrs Geyser.

Their comments follow a warning from Army Cadet Force leaders who said that the cost-cutting move will make it harder to find and retain adult volunteers.

They said that it will have a knock-on effect for the 45,000 cadets aged 12 to 18 who benefit from the discipline and exciting activities provided by the programme.

They pointed out that up to a quarter of those who join the Armed Forces have belonged to one of the cadet schemes and are less likely to drop out in training.

Some Army Cadet Force events have already had to be cancelled, including a national girls’ football competition and several weekend conferences, and next year’s annual summer camps could be under threat, say leaders.