Snafu leaves British soldiers underpaid

LONDON, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Thousands of British military personnel, including some fighting in Iraq, are being underpaid because of glitches in a new computerized payroll system.

Some have gone without full pay for up to five months and are being forced to get regiment hardship funds to make ends meet, The Times of London reported Sunday.

For some British soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, the payroll snafu is costing $1,171 a month.

More than 16,000 members of the British armed forces were underpaid in August, the latest month for which official data is available, according to the Ministry of Defense. Moreover, two-thirds of new officers who graduated from Sandhurst three years ago are still being paid their junior rank despite being promoted.

The payroll system, known as Joint Personnel Administration, was introduced in March last year in the Royal Navy. Even before the program was expanded, sailors complained of not being paid their full pay, the newspaper reported.