Around 400 gurkhas, some based in Kent, are set to lose their jobs in the latest round of defence cuts.

The Ministry of Defence has made the announcement as it looks to reduce staffing nationally by thousands.

It comes on top of 140 job losses announced last September for the Gurkhas, who have a base at Shorncliffe, Folkestone.

In total there are 3,740 Gurkhas based here and overseas in Nepal.

Those targeted in this round will all have completed at least six years' service.

Nationally some 2,900 Army personnel, 400 navy staff and up to 1,000 RAF posts are due to be axed.

Last September, 2,860 Service personnel were notified that they had been selected in the first round of redundancies.

This included 920 from the Army, 1,020 from the Navy and 920 from the Royal Air Force.

Nearly two thirds of those selected had applied to be made redundant.

Overall the Army needs to be reduced by 7,000 personnel and both the Navy and RAF by 5,000 personnel by 2015, it's claimed.

This was set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) in October 2010.

Peter Carroll, who set up the The Gurkha Justice Campaign, said he was horrified by the announcement: "It’s a gigantic proportion and a frightening figure and I know this announcement will have caused fear and dread across the whole Gurkha community, particularly in Folkestone which is their main base.

"It’s just a dreadful decision."

Audio: Gurkha campaigner Peter Carroll after the announcement

He added: "The armed forces are very different to any other government department.

"People in the military can’t just get another job in another army, it doesn’t work that way.

"Being in the armed forces is more than a job, it’s more than a vocation, it’s more than a way of life, it’s absolute commitment.

"I think it’s outrageous and I’m looking for the MPs of Kent to stand up for the Gurkhas."

- this was because, he said, the Gurkhas didn't have a voice or many people speaking up for them.www.savethegurkhas.co.ukHe said he had already set up a simple website called

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: "Difficult decisions had to be taken in the SDSR (Strategic Defence and Security Review) to deal with the vast black hole in the MOD budget.

"The size of the fiscal deficit we inherited left us no choice but to reduce the size of the Armed Forces - while reconfiguring them to ensure they remain agile, adaptable and effective.

"As we continue with the redundancy process we will ensure we retain the capabilities that our Armed Forces will require to meet the challenges of the future.

"The redundancy programme will not impact adversely on the current operations in Afghanistan, where our Armed Forces continue to fight so bravely on this country's behalf."