THE SAS is struggling to recruit because soldiers fear being prosecuted, Sir David Davis has warned.
And the ex-minister said senior officers were quitting in droves.
Tory Sir David, a former SAS reservist, said: “The Special Forces are well below strength.
“They are losing experienced non-commissioned officers and failing to recruit.”
The main regiment — Hereford-based 22 SAS — has lost eight warrant officers in a year.
Sir David added: “That is an enormous number.”
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The regiment, whose motto is Who Dares Wins, faces investigations over deaths in Northern Ireland and Afghanistan.
Sir David claimed serving soldiers were now wary of going on operations owing to the risk of being prosecuted if they were called to kill for their country.
He has proposed legislation to shield troops from legal witch hunts.
The so-called Military Operations Bill is intended to replace Labour’s Northern Ireland Troubles Bill which is unravelling legal safeguards designed to halt vexatious claims.
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Labour’s former Armed Forces Minister Al Carns quit in June claiming the Troubles Bill was “unfit for purpose”.
The Military Operations Bill would put time limits on investigations and demand “public-interest and compelling-evidence thresholds” before soldiers are hauled through investigations.