Virginius blog

LONDON – Britain's military apologized Tuesday for using e-mails to tell several dozen long-serving soldiers that they were being laid off.

The army said an "administrative error" meant the soldiers were not told in person that their contracts would be ended because of cutbacks.

Defense Secretary Liam Fox said he was "furious that such a situation should occur."

"This is no way to treat our armed forces personnel," he said. "I want to know how this was allowed to happen and what measures will be put in place to prevent this from happening again."

British media reported that the soldiers were 38 warrant officers with more than 20 years' service who are on rolling short-term contracts. The Sun newspaper said one received the news while serving in Afghanistan.

The army apologized for the distress caused and said the soldiers had since been spoken to by their commanding officers.

Jim Murphy, defense spokesman for the opposition Labour Party, said they had been treated in a "callous, cold-hearted, soulless" way.

The British army is shrinking by some 17,000 troops and the military is scrapping a fleet of fighter planes and an aircraft carrier as part of the government's deficit-slashing spending cuts.