Some former servicemen and women said morale was low

MPs have warned that the pressures faced by the armed forces are driving away experienced personnel and damaging morale.

BBC News spoke to former servicemen and women to assess their thoughts on these claims.

Earlier this week, after 21 years of service as an aircraft engineer, Richard Ford left the RAF.

The squadron leader engineering officer said: "I left due to the detrimental impact that continued service would have had on my family."

"My career plan had me spending five of the next six years away from home."

By way of explanation, he said at least half of his time would be spent in Iraq, Afghanistan and the US, with him becoming "a weekend dad".

The increased time away spent on foreign deployments is, he said, a consequence of the UK being engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, although he stressed that anyone joining the armed forces should expect to spend time away from home.

Mr Ford, 40, has three young children aged under six, included a 7-month-old daughter. He said the birth of his youngest child prompted his decision to leave the armed forces.

"I'm just sad to have been forced to decide between a career I loved and the family I love more," he said.

Mr Ford, who now works at a aircraft engineer for a private firm, is quick to point out that he "took a great deal of pride in what he did" in the RAF.

"I wouldn't change it and I'll miss it," he said.

However, he said fears of low morale are well founded and are related to a combination of the public's perception of the conflicts the UK is involved in and defence not being seen as a priority issue.

Referring to a lack of support by the general public, which saps morale, he said: "I think people are confused because we aren't visibly defending the UK's shoreline. Nobody has invaded the UK or a depending territory, like the Falklands."

Mr Ford added that the armed forces had slipped down the list of priorities for politicians, prompting budget cuts.

He suggested that money previously used for equipment and accommodation were being diverted elsewhere - such as public services - to the detriment of personnel.

"It feels like we are being put to the back of the queue for cash because we aren't going to win a general election for a political party."

Last year Nick Leason left the armed forces, 12 years after joining the Royal Navy.

During his career, which included working in the Royal Marines, the naval officer served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia.

After being deployed four times in as many years - each time for six or more months - he decided that it was time to explore other career options.

The 33-year-old said "being away in a high intensity environment which was dangerous" meant he was unable to spend enough time with his wife, who feared for his safety.

"You get three or four months at home before you start training and exercises - so the time you spend in the UK is limited," he said.

Mr Leason said the primary reason for leaving the armed forces was "the lack of career progression".

He said his expertise and specialisation were not being invested in and he was not given the option to transfer to an area where he could have been promoted and "had a future".

"We don't mind working at this pace [in Iraq and Afghanistan] if there are goals to work towards. But if there are no goals the pace is unsustainable," he said.

The former naval officer said many others feel the same, with senior captains and majors leaving.

And he said many servicemen and women in their 30s, when faced with this apparent lack of career development, opt to settle down, invest in their family and find a safer job with better prospects.

Mr Leason said these were the experienced personnel needed to become the next generation of high ranking servicemen and women.

"In five years there will be a gap where these people have left. They're people who would be in decision-making jobs," he said.

"They [armed forces authorities] will be struggling to find the talent to fill roles."

"We were doing operational tours every 18 months to two years, but it's worse than that now," said Mr Benfold, who left the Army after 22 years, during which he mostly served in Northern Ireland.

Arguing that troops are overstretched, he said soldiers in his old regiment had served in Iraq in 2003 and returned on three occasions since then.

James Benfold said the government should invest more in the armed forces

"As much as I enjoyed it I would not recommend it as a career because of the shameful way Labour treat the forces," said the former sergeant major, from Doncaster.

"The prime minister does not respect the forces in any way shape or form and his actions towards them in the way they are funded, equipped and represented by a part-time secretary of state whose main job is secretary for Scotland."

Mr Benfold, 50, who has worked as a property manager since leaving the Army, said "morale is low" because "some of the young lads are doing a short time and there will be no experience at the upper end because no one will stick it out".

After five years as an RAF ground technician, Mrs Wanstall decided to leave the armed forces because of a range of issue from low morale to a lack of equipment and the increasing number of deployments.

She said there were four-month deployments every two years when she first joined, which was subsequently changed to four months every 14 months in order to deal with the strain of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Mrs Wanstall, 26, recalled often feeling like a second-class civilian compared to her US and Australian counterparts.

By way of example, she pointed out these servicemen and women did not pay taxes when engaged in a foreign deployment, unlike UK personnel.

"This adds up if you're away for six or nine months in a year," she said.

She also pointed out that US personnel are welcomed home from service with parades, in stark contrast to their UK counterparts, which she said affects morale.

Mrs Wanstall said: "Morale is very low. People on Civvie Street ask why we are at war and we spend four months away from people we love.

"We feel as if nobody cares."

She said many people join the armed forces "for a career and to serve their country", but this quickly seems futile as their is an overriding feeling that the general public does not support them.

Mrs Wanstall also said there was a feeling about troops that the government is "cutting corners" by providing inadequate accommodation and equipment.

And, although she said it is possible to have a career in the armed forces, it is difficult. Mrs Wanstall now has a 16-month-old son.

However, she did stress that although she does not miss her life in the RAF, the job did provide her with the skills which enabled her to pursue her current job as an aerospace engineer for British Airways.

"It gave me a good career," she said.