PRIME MINISTER CAMERON ANNOUNCES MILITARY AUSTERITY PLAN

       Britain will lose thousands of troops, reduce its ability to fight complex missions like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and delay a program to upgrade its nuclear defenses, Prime Minister Cameron announced.

      Outlining the first defense review since 1998-intended both to sweep away strategies crafted before Sept 11, 2001 attacks on the US and to help clear the country's crippling national debt-Cameron said 17,000 troops, a fleet of jets and aging aircraft carrier would be all sacrificed.

      Cameron's government has hinted for months that the cuts would be severe - and sweeping. Communities around the country watched the announcement nervously, worried about jobs and the impact on local communities in a time of economic leadership.

     The numbers were stark. Naval warships, 25,000 civilian staff and a host bases will also be lost, while the country's stockpile of nuclear warheads will be trimmed from 160 to 120.

      Two new aircraft carriers will be built at a cost of 5 billion Pounds (US$ 8 billion) - but one will effectively by mothballed and another won't have any British fighter jets to transport until 2019.