WALES will remain a key recruiting ground for the Army now, and in the future, Armed Forces Minister Nick Harvey has said.

Mr Harvey, who was speaking at Swansea's Sketty Hall, said he believed the Welsh were good soldiers. The Welsh make up between seven and eight per cent of the Army's recruitment target.

Ahead of a fundraising dinner for Swansea-based Lib Dem AM Peter Black, Mr Harvey said: "We are keen that the footprint of the military should be from throughout the UK, and Wales is an important recruiting ground.

"We hope to continue to recruit at the same level — they (the Welsh) are good soldiers."

He made the comment, despite plans for the Army to cut around 7,000 personnel over the next four years, along with losing 100 tanks and heavy artillery. Currently, the Army has 102,000 personnel, but it will fall to 95,000, following the impact of the Strategic Defence Review.

Soldiers from 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards (The Welsh Cavalry) are expected to head out to Afghanistan towards the end of this year and 1st Battalion The Royal Welsh, are due to go to Helmand Province, in April 2012.

Mr Harvey said he believed both regiments would deploy as planned and that there would be no earlier exit strategy from Afghanistan for British troops than 2014.

"I would assume it would go ahead as planned," he added.

"I largely do not think there will be any significant change from what is planned for either of those tours."

Mr Harvey, who also met members of the Air Cadets and Swansea's Lord Mayor Richard Lewis on his visit, said he believed good progress was being made in Helmand Province.

He added: "I have been to Afghanistan several times and most recently a month ago. I was actually very surprised that there is so much momentum growing in Helmand.

"We have 29,000 ISAF troops and 15,000 ANA (Afghan National Army) troops in Helmand. What we are able to achieve with 44,000 troops is a lot of good work.

"What we are doing is really beginning to bear fruit now.

"I am not getting euphoric — there's a lot of tough fighting to be done. We will see momentum rising when the spring comes.

"The ANA (Afghan National Army) are progressing at a remarkable pace. The quality of their leadership is surprising."

He said that following the Assembly elections in May, announcements would be made as to where British troops based in Germany, including 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, would be based in the UK in future.

Mr Harvey said it was "not impossible" that the Welsh Cavalry would be based in Wales in future, but it would not be on sentimental or political grounds.

He further underlined when he went out to Helmand Province a month ago he spoke to Welsh Territorial Army units and stressed the defence cuts would not impact on the length of their tours — they will remain six months long.

Mr Harvey admitted that with the current military action in Libya, the country's Armed Forces were under strain.

"The more we do the more the strain," he added.

When the Minister was previously asked how long Britain would have to be involved in the North Africa country, he said: "How long is a piece of string?"

He told the Post: "We could be there days, weeks, months or years — we just do not know at what point the region might implode or Gadaffi might take flight or he decides to fulfil the role of Colonel."

elizabeth.perkins@swwmedia.co.uk