On the same note, and to show that this is not just the opinion of France:
From Sky news a few days ago "US general warns British Army no longer top-level fighting force, defence sources reveal".
According to the sources, the general, referring to the army, said: "You haven't got a tier one. It's barely tier two."
I would have posted the link here but apparently I can't post URL's before I have 8 posts.
I very much wish the best for the UK (having lived there before). Nevertheless I believe that these comments are indicative of a real issue.