1,400 UK soldiers to lose jobs in latest round of Army cuts 23 January 2014 Last updated at 08:12 Maj Gen David Cullen: Cuts are the "beginning of the end of uncertainty" About 1,400 soldiers are to lose their jobs in the Army's fourth and final round of redundancies as part of defence cuts announced in 2010. The defence secretary will announce the details of units affected to MPs later. Soldiers currently serving or about to serve in Afghanistan will be exempt, the Ministry of Defence said. The Army is cutting the number of regulars from 102,000 in 2010 to 82,000 by 2017, but seeking to increase the number of reservists. The plans also involve cutting the Royal Navy from 35,500 regulars in 2010 to 30,000 in 2020 and the RAF from 40,130 regulars in 2010 to 35,000 in 2020. It has clearly been a difficult few years for the Army. They have suitably called it "life in the tranches." Their misery: one tranche, or round, of redundancies after another as the Army undergoes the very painful process of downsizing itself. But there is now light at the end of the tunnel, or as the head of the Army Gen Sir Peter Walls says, an end to "the forced exodus of people from the Army." He can now focus on its transformation. Reservists will play a much bigger role in the Army. It needs thousands more part-time soldiers but also a constant flow of those wishing to join full-time. So far, that has not been going according to plan. And with the war in Afghanistan coming to an end and unemployment rates falling it's not going to get any easier. BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said the Gurkhas were once again likely to be told they faced cuts by the defence secretary, because they currently have too many personnel. The previous round of redundancies in June, totalling nearly 4,500, was the largest number of job cuts since the government began the process following the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review. Of those that were made redundant, 84% applied. The head of the British Army, Gen Sir Peter Wall said this final round of redundancies would end a period of significant uncertainty with the "forced exodus of people from the Army," and it could now focus on recruiting for the future. The Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond, recently described army recruitment as a "big challenge," as a £3m campaign to boost regular and reserve forces was launched. As the number of regular soldiers decreases, the government wants to boost the number of reservists from 19,000 to 30,000 - but it has so far failed to meet its targets. Falklands veteran Simon Weston said he would not have joined the armed forces in its current form. I look at it now and think, 'Is it worth going in?' The way the guys were given their redundancies on the front line last year, that's some thank you for the job you have taken on, dedicated your life to, risked your life for, as many have done. I don't think I would," he said. War veteran Simon Weston: Cuts "having a terrible impact on recruitment" The government's plans to reduce armed forces personnel were criticised in recent weeks by former US defence secretary Robert Gates, who told the BBC that cuts would limit the UK's military standing. He said the erosion in Britain's capabilities had reduced its ability to be a "full partner" to the US able to fight on air, land and sea. That warning, though, was rejected by Prime Minister David Cameron, who said Britain had the world's fourth largest defence budget and was a "first-class player in terms of defence." The UK had, Mr Cameron said, "a massive investment programme of £160bn in our defence industries, in our equipment."