How to kill British soldiers

It's really quite easy. Send them into dangerous areas in insufficient numbers and with inadequate equipment. That it what the British government is doing in Afghanistan, according to Colonel Tim Collins. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, the Colonel sees it as a political problem:

The politicians fear the embarrassment of admitting that they misjudged what would be needed in Afghanistan. Can it be that they would rather lose lives than accept that embarrassment and deal with the shocking state of our [air] fleet in Afghanistan? They seem to be more concerned about their reputation and their jobs than with the servicemen and women who are putting their lives at risk for their country.

Sir Richard Dannatt, the new Chief of the General Staff (head of the army) is more circumspect but the underlying message is the same (Guardian):

British troops are fighting at the limit of their capacity, the new head of the Army has warned.
Sir Richard Dannatt said the Army was "meeting challenges on the hoof" and that soldiers could "only just" cope with the Government's demands.
In his first interview as chief of the general staff, Sir Richard said: "We are running hot, certainly running hot. Can we cope? I pause. I say 'just'."

Ministers are willing to penny-pinch at the expense of British servicemen's lives, whilst at the same time spending billions on massively expanding public sector employment. Public sector employees generally vote Labour, the armed forces do not. It is not hard to figure out ministers' main concerns.