IT may be the biggest army base in Europe, but news of the most wide-ranging defence spending cuts for more than ten years seemed slow to filter down among the soldiers and civilians living in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire.

Hours after Prime Minister David Cameron outlined the cuts to the Armed Forces, few people in the town had heard the news that could affect the whole base.

When told about the plans, many expressed dismay at the speed of the cuts, but were unclear about how the changes would affect them personally.

Catterick Garrison is home to more than 12,000 soldiers and their families, and provides initial infantry training for junior soldiers.

Several soldiers agreed to speak to The Northern Echo anonymously about their thoughts on the cuts.

One soldier, 24, who has completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan, said he was “disappointed”.

“It’s a bit of a slap in the face for the lads who have been out there,” he said. “Lads have died out there and they’re just cutting the numbers to save money without looking at what actually goes on.”

Another soldier, 23, who had recently returned from a seven-month tour of Afghanistan, said: “I don’t know much about politics, but I know he [David Cameron] only took over a few months ago, so how have they made their minds up about this so quickly? Do they know what they are doing?”

One woman, who has several family members in the Armed Forces, including her partner, who is still in Afghanistan, said: “I know why they have to make cuts, but I think there are other things that could go before the budget for the services.

“They need to protect the lads that are in Afghanistan and make sure they keep them safe, because I don’t think they have in the past.

“There have been too many deaths because the equipment was not right.”

However, one soldier, 31, who has completed tours of Northern Ireland and Bosnia, as well as Iraq, said he agreed with the cuts, adding: “War is not the same as it used to be.

We are not fighting for territory any more – the services need to change with the times, even though that might be hard.”