GETTY Women soldiers are set to serve on the frontline

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Retired servicemen have warned the the move could have serious consequences for unit "cohesion" on the battlefield and condemned "gender-neutral" ministers for forcing it through as part of a political agenda. Former head of the Navy Admiral Lord West said he was "nervous" about the prospect of placing women soldiers in frontline combat roles, whilst retired army colonel Richard Kemp said they lack the "killer instinct" needed in the heat of battle.

Their comments came amid mounting criticism of the Prime Minister's plan to fast-track women into demanding combat roles for the first time in the British Army's 355-year history, which was unveiled yesterday. Mr Cameron has pledged to overhaul army rules which currently restrict women to support roles on the frontline including providing logistics and medical assistance.

GETTY At the moment female soldiers are restricted to non-combat roles

But Colonel Kemp, the former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, warned politicians they were risking the effectiveness of the UK's fighting force to fulfil their own politically correct dogma. He said: "It will undermine the fighting ethos of the British infantry. "Sadly, the Prime Minister’s decision is the latest crazy move in society’s obsession with politically correct gestures. "Cliques would form – with men and women both to blame – which would undermine unit cohesion and fighting spirit. While some right-on politicians may be ‘gender neutral’, nature is not."

Richard Kemp Colonel Richard Kemp said the move was 'crazy political correctness'

While some right-on politicians may be ‘gender neutral’, nature is not Colonel Richard Kemp

Colonel Kemp agreed women play a "valuable" role in the British Army, saying he has "as much admiration for their dedication, professionalism and heroism as I have for their male counterparts". But he added: "At the end of this process, government ministers will be happy, the generals involved will get promotion and the nation’s feminists will claim a victory over the last bastion of male chauvinism. But, more importantly, our nation’s defences will have been weakened." His criticism was echoed by influential Lord West, the former First Sea Lord, who voiced his concerns that women are not suited to such ground assault roles, saying he wants to make sure Britain has "forces that can win". He likened the argument for including women on the frontline to the prospect of adding female players to the England men's rugby team, saying it will not work because they do not have the same size or power.

GETTY Admiral Lord West, left, said he was 'nervous' about the idea

And he told Sky News he had "some nervousness about women in the infantry and the Royal Marines, where they have to actually advance on the enemy, climb into a trench and fight and kill each other...not because there aren’t some women who can do that but, when you are looking at averages, women have one-third less upper body strength". Major General Patrick Cordingley, former commander of the 7th Armoured Brigade, added: "You don’t want distractions looking after women, which inevitably you will do." There are currently just under 16,000 women serving in Britain's armed forces. Those in the Army have restricted roles on the frontline, mostly being used as intelligence specialists, artillery spotters, logisticians and signallers.

But Mr Cameron has pledged to overhaul the system following a six-month Ministry of Defence (MoD) evaluation of whether women should be able to serve in infantry and tank regiments. His personal intervention will speed up the implementation of the review’s recommendation, with women expected to be serving in combat roles as soon as next autumn. Yesterday the Prime Minister told the Sunday Telegraph: "We’ve already lifted a number of barriers in our Armed Forces with the introduction of female submariners and women reaching the highest ranks in all services. "We should finish the job next year and open up ground combat roles to women."

Army Photographic Competition 2015 Wed, October 28, 2015 The annual competition highlights the work of both professional and amateur British Army photographers Play slideshow PA 1 of 10 This photo by Sgt Rupert Frere is part of a set that has been named winner of the Professional Op Herrick Portfolio category. The image shows an air insertion operation, re-establishing government control in Afghanistan