I FEEL that your readers should be told the real reason for the current Defence Review, which will seen the end of tried and proven regiments such as the Worcesters and the Glorious Gloucesters.

The Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon, with typical New Labour spin, recently announced the restructuring of the British Army into "larger regimental formations" of 1,500 men each.

All the attention was focused on the abolition of our old, historic regiments. But what Mr Hoon did not choose to explain was the purpose behind the change, or how these units would be used in the future.

He did not bother to remind the House of Commons that he had agreed with his European Union colleagues, last April, that the EU should be able to deploy "battle groups" of 1,500 men in international trouble spots, or that Britain is pledged to contribute several of the units in this EU "Rapid Reaction Force, to be made up of 12 such battle-groups.

Furthermore, these battle groups are to be equipped with new, electronically-linked vehicles (known collectively as the Future Rapid Effects System, or FRES), which will only be compatible with the forces of other EU members.

In other words, the main objective of Mr Hoon's restructuring of our army is to merge it into an EU force. As it will be equipped with FRES, it will no longer be able to work alongside forces from the United States, which is developing a totally different system.

The Conservative "Opposition" is well aware of all this.

So without even the usual White Paper discussion, our most significant defence policy decisions for 20 years have been taken behind the scenes.

And it seems that the Conservatives, who are paid public money to provide an opposition, are not even prepared to reveal that the independence of our army is to be sacrificed on the altar of EU integration.

R G SPENCER,

Malvern.