Britain's iconic Gurkha brigade may face heat under proposed cost cuts

Britain's iconic Gurkha battalion "may face axe" under cost-cutting measures proposed by the Ministry of Defence, a report said.

The new measures would impact the 1st Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles as well as 600 Gurkha specialists and will shrink the British Army to around 60,000 troops, The Daily Express reported.

The Ministry of Defence has not yet confirmed the plan but "categorically denied" moves to cut down the strength of the Gurkha battalion, which has earned a reputation for its bravery while serving the Crown, winning nine Victoria Crosses in the Second World War alone.

A senior source said that the Gurkhas had been facing the risk for a long time but had survived cuts because the cost of maintenance for a Gurkha brigade was half that of a British brigade.

Former SAS commander Major General Mark Carleton Smith has been drafted into Whitehall to decide areas for cuts in the British Army and chalk out future strategy. If the plan is implemented, at least 1,500 Nepalese soldiers would be taken off the Order of Battle "within three years."

Major Tikendra Dal Dewan, chairman of the British Gurkha Welfare Society, said that reducing the strength of the Gurkha Battallion would be a short sighted move.

Gerald Howarth MP, former defence minister, has also opposed any further cuts in the British Army.

The Gurkhas will celebrate their 200-year anniversary for their service to the Crown this summer.