Army sets out plans for 10,000 new troops amid warnings UK must be ready for war within 1,000 days

Plans for a dramatic increase in the size of the British Army are being drawn up amid warnings that the UK must be ready for war in 1,000 days. The Mail on Sunday has been told that military chiefs want to recruit 10,000 more soldiers over three years, at a total cost of £800 million. Sources claimed last night the proposals – also including new equipment such as weapons and body armour – would be put to the Government for formal approval 'in the New Year'.

The British Army now stands at around 75,000 soldiers – its smallest since the Napoleonic Wars in the early 1800s – but of these about 8,000 are said to be currently unable to fight on medical grounds. Plans to expand the numbers came to light after Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warned that Russia 's growing threats to Nato allies meant the UK had to be ready to fight 'in a little over 1,000 days'. Both Mr Streeting and Chancellor John Healey are under mounting pressure to say how they will increase defence spending to the promised 3 per cent of GDP by 2030, after last month's Budget failed to do so.

The British Army has set out plans for 10,000 new troops amid warnings that the UK must be ready for war within the next 1,000 days (file image) A senior officer working on the plan said: 'Our job is to advise about the threats, then propose a solution, but we can all see what is going on in the world. 'The minimum we will need is another 10,000 soldiers.' However, it recently emerged that the Army was already rejecting 200 applicants a day, many on medical grounds.

The MoD last night declined to comment.