FEMALE soldiers going to Afghanistan have been told by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to carry condoms after an alarming rise in pregnancies while on tour.
An advert in official Army magazine Soldier warns them to take protection as there will be “50 blokes to each woman,” The Sun reports.
Officially, military personnel are banned from having sex in a war zone. But, according to senior officers, a blind eye is turned if relations are between soldiers of a similar rank and do not impact on operations.
Figures show that 133 servicewoman became pregnant in Afghanistan and Iraq between January 2003 and February 2009.
Condoms are available at bases such as Camp Bastion, home to 8500 British troops — including 700 women.
Conservative lawmaker Patrick Mercer, an ex-Army officer, said: “Pregnancies are incredibly expensive for the Army. One wonders why this sort of advert has only been used now.”
An MoD spokesman said: “The MoD does not encourage sexual relationships.”
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