Almost half of the members of Britain's armed forces regularly think about quitting, a Ministry of Defence survey showed reflecting the hardship of fighting wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

The snapshot of service morale also pinpointed concerns about the quality of equipment, complaints over pay and anxiety about the frequency of tours.

The ministry, revealing details of the survey of 9,000 service personnel, said it had uncovered "areas of concern" but insisted that conditions were being improved.

The survey showed that 47 percent of soldiers and sailors regularly felt like leaving.

Opposition Conservative parliamentarian Patrick Mercer, himself an ex-officer, said the tempo of operations has produced such a level of stress on the families that it is no wonder so many are thinking of leaving.

In the survey, 72 percent of Royal Air Force personnel rated morale to be low or very low.

In the Royal Marines, 57 percent felt dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the standard of their equipment.

Last month, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the government would do "everything it could" to help members of the armed forces after army chief Richard Dannatt complained that troops were paid less than traffic wardens.

Defence Minister Derek Twigg, pointing to recent pay rises and extra expenditure on accommodation for Britain's 186,440 service personnel, said: "Since the survey was conducted, we have already implemented a number of important changes." The British contingent in Afghanistan has been growing steadily and will reach 8,000 strong by the end of the year. 110 British troops have died there.

Britain cut back its force in Iraq almost in half to about 4,000 last year but has delayed further reductions. 176 UK troops have been killed there.

HEYET Net- Al-Arab Online

IRAQ: The Camp is Falling Apart...

The U.S. Coalition mercenary outfit - like everything else - is crumbling down with the lack of any results from the U.S. effort in Iraq

16.6. Attack on British Occupation Base

9.6. British Occupation Base in Basra Rocketed

8.4. Training Kids to Kill

9.7. Baghdad, London discuss legal issues concerning UK troops in Basra

9.7. Iraqi FM discusses British troops' presence in Iraq

8.7. UK cost of Iraq, Afghan wars up 50 percent in 3 months

6.7. Britain could hire 'mercenaries' to guard bases in combat zones

5.7. Exclusive: Scots army recruitment numbers down

4.7. Katyush rockets strike British base in Basra

4.7. Top British intelligence official in hospital after collapse

3.7. Polish armed forces leaking troops

3.7. Mongolia election win confirmed

3.7. Iraq pays $360M of debt to Bulgaria

3.7. Azerbaijan rotates peacekeepers in Iraq

2.7. Mongolian president declares state of emergency

2.7. Shiite cleric discusses with British, Turkish ambassadors political developments

2.7. VP leads Iraq’s delegation in Iraqi-Japanese economic forum

1.7. Poland’s Strategic Interests and the “Coalition of the Willing”

28.6. 1000 British troops in Basra will be home by Christmas

28.6. Azerbaijani soldier killed in Iraq: ministry

25.6. Sir Jock Stirrup: forces too stretched to cope with Iraq and Afghanistan

23.6. Australian commander: troops return home as security conditions improve

23.6. UK 'set to quit Iraq' by end of year

22.6. 10,000 British soldiers unfit for frontline duty: report

22.6. Five Britons kidnapped in Iraq still alive, says top official

19.6. Bosnia to send more troops to Iraq

19.6. Bulgaria sends 154 troops to Iraq

18.6. Equipment shortages to blame for up to 60 service deaths, says Forsyth

16.6. Basra airport temporarily closed after attack on British base

16.6. 4100 UK troops protecting Basra airport

16.6. Downing Street denies rift with Bush over withdrawal of troops from Iraq

16.6. UK sends more troops to Afghanistan

15.6. Dozens of names left off official list of British soldiers killed in Iraq

15.6. Bush urges Brown not to set timetable for Iraq withdrawal

15.6. Iraq 'combat' pullout pure spin: Oppn

15.6. Aussie troops due home from Iraq

13.6. Britain needs more troops, says Army chief General Sir Richard Dannatt

13.6. Bulgaria deploys troops stationed in Iraq to Baghdad

13.6. Japan extends airlifting mission in Iraq, refueling mission in Indian Ocean

11.6. Australian FM asserts country’s support to political process

10.6. What's Bush Doing in Rome?

10.6. British base in Basra rocketed

10.6. British spokesman dismisses withdrawal before comprehensive security evaluation

10.6. Iraq UK troop reduction delayed

10.6. BBC: Britain to Announce Full Withdrawal of Troops From Iraq

10.6. Georgian base attacked by Iranian-made rockets

10.6. Japanese court rules ASDF Iraq missions illegal

9.6. Netherlands extends training mission in Iraq

9.6. Rudd lied over Iraq troop pullout: Libs

9.6. Our war is not over yet [Australia]

8.6. Poland to leave Iraq by October: minister

8.6. British base at Basra airport rocketed

7.6. British troops needed US help to quell Basra, brigadier admits

5.6. Georgian soldier killed by land mine in Iraq: Defense Ministry

5.6. Mongolia to send 10th batch of peacekeepers to Iraq

3.6. Crumbling coalitions

3.6. MoD urged to do more for injured soldiers returning to UK

2.6. US paying allies to fight war in Iraq

2.6. Overstretched, Australia ends combat operation in Iraq

1.6. FACTBOX-Foreign military forces in Iraq

1.6. Australia withdraws troops from Iraq

1.6. British soldier's delight arter Iraq tour of hell

1.6. Parliament should hold own inquiry into Iraq war, say UK MPs

28.5. [Australian] Troops Iraq withdrawal 'well timed'

27.5. Britain loses 100 unmanned aircraft in Iraq and Afghanistan

26.5. Japan may end Iraq military mission in 2009

25.5. The Global Article 9 Conference: Toward the Abolition of War

23.5. 66% of UK helicopters in Afghanistan and Iraq 'unfit for combat'

23.5. Bulgaria troops in Iraq to relocate to Baghdad

22.5. Japan: Bush Admin. Tried to Pressure High Court on Iraq Ruling

19.5. Poles disapprove of Polish foreign military missions

19.5. Poland shifting its Iraq focus from war to business alliance

19.5. Tony Blair accused of War Crimes Anthony Charles Lynton Blair on Trial in The Hague

19.5. Army nets 10 Scottish soldiers in drug swoop

18.5. Gordon Brown on collision course with George W Bush over Iraq cluster bombs

18.5. 2 servicemen killed, 5 wounded in violent actions until Sunday midday

14.5. UK regiments already serviced 5 tours of duty in Iraq, Afghanistan

14.5. UK unable to mount any further overseas operations, MoD warns

4.5. British voters show US the power of the people

2.5. British troops to stay in Basra 'for the long term'

30.4. 'Paper thin' Army as final troops deployed

30.4. UK to be left with only 512 troops in reserve - report

26.4. Report: UK overstretched army to deploy troops in Kosovo

26.4. Japanese High Court Rules Iraq Involvement Unconstitutional

26.4. US military in Japan charges Marine with rape of 14-year-old girl

20.4. Aussies pullout from Muthanna delayed – paper

17.4. Court rules Japan's Self-Defence Force mission unconstitutional

25.4. Warning on Iraq troop levels

12.4. Japan: Gov't Should No Longer Trust in Japan-U.S. Alliance

12.4. Some Poles to stay in Iraq

6.4. British soldiers back in Basra as hundreds of Iraqi troops desert

4.4. British forces deployed to Basra

1.4. Poland to begin withdrawal from Iraq

31.3. Eight soldiers catch superbugs after UK return

30.3. Drugs, desertion leave Army short of soldiers

29.3. Rift between UK diplomats and Army in Basra

27.3. Japan to Examine Troop Dispatch Changes

26.3. Poland to complete preparations for Iraq pullout this month

25.3. Tories demand inquiry into Iraq war

23.3. British pull-out from Basra delayed after rise in rocket attacks

23.3. Scottish forces lose fifth of soldiers

23.3. US wants Britain to lead 'surge' in southern Iraq: report

20.3. Britain seeks low-key exit from Iraq

12.3. British defense secretary visits Basra

12.3. British base in Basra attacked

10.3. Japan: Suicide Rate for SDF Veterans of Iraq War Higher than U.S Troops.