The good news for the guys that stay is that life can get much better in a hurry when the powers that be finally realize that they don't have enough people to run the show.
The political objective is disarmament. The US President has committed to a set withdrawal date for Afghanistan and when the Yanks leave, we'll have to leave too. With no wars on the go we won't be needing many boots, so the "defence" of the nation will rest on those few who happen to remain after some more massive redundancies - who by definition will be just enough to man Horse Guards Parade on the Queen's birthday and fly three old WW2 aircraft over Buckingham Palace.
