British Army facing a crisis over shortage of specialists MPs expressed "major concerns" at the number of service personnel missing from crucial posts Key trades including bomb disposal experts, interrogators and electronic warfare operators are having to cope with vacancies Shocking new figures show the Army has a shortfall of some 700 intelligence officers An alarming shortfall of specialist troops are leaving Britain's Armed Forces "vulnerable," a damning report reveal today. MPs on the Commons Defence Select Committee expressed "major concerns" at the number of service personnel missing from crucial posts. Even as the military continues to fight insurgents in Afghanistan, key trades including bomb disposal experts, interrogators and electronic warfare operators are having to cope with vacancies. MPs on the Commons Defence Select Committee expressed ¿major concerns¿ at the number of service personnel missing from crucial posts Shocking new figures show the Army has a shortfall of some 700 intelligence officers - vital to tackling global terrorism. And more than four out of ten posts in some medical specialisms - including emergency nurses, anaesthetists and radiologists - are unfilled, leading to fears that lives are being put at risk. The report, into the Ministry of Defence's annual report and accounts for 2012-13, shows under-staffed "operational pinch points" have increased from 11 to 15 in the Royal Navy and 19 to 26 in the Army. The extent of the shortages - amounting to around 1,600 troops - comes as ministers prepare to axe up to 2,000 soldiers in its latest round of cost-cutting redundancies. The MoD has reduced the size of the Armed Forces by 30,000 since 2010 to save £4.7billion and eliminate a £38billion equipment overspend. MPs on the cross-party committee share military officers" concerns that experienced personnel are leaving, fed up with the demands of continuous operations and often taking up highly-paid jobs in private security. They recommend personnel with crucial skills should be given "golden handcuff" payments to remain in the Armed Forces. The committee said the shortfalls were occurring at a time when the rate of personnel volunteering to leave the forces was above average. In a hard-hitting report, the committee said: "Our major concern is shortage of key personnel. The Ministry of Defence should support the services in addressing shortages in pinch point trades - key shortages which leave the armed forces vulnerable now and in the future. The MoD and the armed forces should explore ways of filling these gaps by offering financial or other incentives to service personnel to encourage those in pinch point trades to continue in service and to encourage others to undertake training in these trades or by using reservists and private sector contractors. The committee said the shortfalls were occurring at a time when the rate of personnel volunteering to leave the forces was above average Statistics revealed a 50 shortage in the number of radiologists, a 40 per cent shortfall in electronic warfare system operators and a 35 per cent gap in advanced explosive ordnance disposal operators. The Ministry of Defence is hoping a plan to increase the double the size of the Territorial Army will help to fill vacancies. But commanders have warned it is not possible to force volunteer soldiers to take up certain posts - meaning capability gaps could remain. Shadow Defence Secretary Vernon Coaker said: "There is a worrying shortfall in the required levels of trained personnel to fulfil critical operational requirements. These pinch points include some of the most specialist jobs in areas of engineering, technical and medical expertise. They are vital roles needed to support our Armed Forces and keep Britain safe and secure. The MoD said measures to manage pinch-points already included financial incentives, specialist pay and recruitment bonuses. Those made redundant could also apply to transfer into specialist trades. An MoD spokesman said: "The Armed Forces are going through significant restructuring resulting in a small number of temporary shortages in some roles. However, there are safeguards in place to ensure frontline operational capability is not affected. We are confident that we have, and will continue to have, the right personnel with the right skill sets to satisfy all strategic defence priorities.