Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has reportedly confirmed the British Army will be cut from 102,000 soldiers to 82,000.

His Whitehall department, however, won’t be drawn on the suggestion by Tory MP Patrick Mercer that the 3rd battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment is in the line of fire.

Yesterday the T&A reported that the mother of a Bradford soldier killed in Afghanistan said her son’s memory should live on through the Yorkshire Regiment, following suggestions his former battalion faces the axe.

Monica Kershaw’s son, Private Christopher Kershaw, 19, served with the historic 3 Yorks battalion and was one of six soldiers who died when their armoured vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device.

Reorganisation of the armed forces is not a new thing. The Yorkshire Regiment itself was formed from four battalions in 2006 following a restructure of the infantry.

It now comprises the 1st Battalion (Prince of Wales’s Own); the 2nd Battalion (Green Howards); the 3rd Battalion (Duke of Wellington’s); and the 4th Battalion of reservists comprising various units formerly known as The Yorkshire Volunteers.

Professor Paul Rogers, from the Department of Peace Studies at Bradford University, said reducing the size of the British Army is inevitable.

“At the end of the 1950s and 1960s Britain had nearly a million personnel in the armed forces. Historically, the Army has been substantially reduced over the years. The last big cut was at the end of the Cold War.

“The downturn is driven by finance; but behind it is recognition by defence analysts that the nature of warfare is changing. Iraq and Afghanistan have been two big wake-up calls.

“They were expected to be two short and easy wars. They turned out to be prolonged and horrific with British casualties of 179 in Iraq and 418 in Afghanistan and rising. What came home to Washington, and to some extent London, is that thousands of boots on the ground don’t work.

“President Obama has decided to pull out 30,000 American troops by the end of this year – that’s a third of US forces in Afghanistan.

“What’s now happening is the belief in the US and Britain that the future lies in three areas – Drone warfare, special forces like the SAS and the rapid deployment of small specialist groups.

“There may well be a demand for large numbers in stabilisation and peace-keeping roles. Thoughtful military strategists see it the same way. The Army is going to get smaller, but the number of reservists may be larger. 4 Para, between Bradford and Leeds, will be maintained.

“Military sociologists describe the British Army as tribal. I prefer the word clannish. It’s part of the espirit de corps that you build up from particular geographical areas. But the reality is that when push comes to shove, the ordinary soldier’s commitment is to the platoon – they are your mates who will protect your back.

“More than ten years ago British military staff colleges were amalgamated into the Joint Service Command and Staff College at Shrivenham, near Swindon. Before that there were separate colleges for the Army, the Royal Navy and the RAF. Now, all senior officer corps do a one-year course at Shrivenham.”

Shipley Conservative MP Philip Davies is unconvinced. Admitting that he takes a more conventional Conservative view of defence, he said: “All I see is that we ask our armed forces to do more and more. The first duty of any government is the defence of the nation. I don’t see how that is best achieved by reducing the armed forces. It’s a kick in the teeth for those who have been in Iraq and Afghanistan. I would spend more on defence, not less.

“The Government has got its priorities wrong. It’s increasing the money it gives to the European Union and in overseas aid while at the same time cutting the money it spends on defence. It’s something I will take up with the Defence Secretary Philip Hammond when I see him.

“The Ministry of Defence has two arguments. It says its budget was left in a shocking state by the last Government – money for future years had already been committed and spent.

“The other point they make is that the nature of warfare and defence is less about troop numbers. The thinking is there should be fewer full-time people in the Army and that the slack should be taken up by reservists in the Territorial Army. I don’t think that is any substitute for having full-time personnel.”