Telegraph: "Head Of Armed Forces: Military Risks Becoming 'Hollow Force'"

[soleil]

"Britain’s military will become a “hollow force” with state of the art equipment but no one to operate it unless manpower budgets increase, the head of the Armed Forces has warned.

Gen Sir Nick Houghton, chief of the defence staff, said the Royal Navy was already “perilously close to its critical mass” after cuts to the numbers of sailors."

Head of Armed Forces: military risks becoming 'hollow force' - Telegraph

Defence cuts making our military a 'hollow force', says head of the Armed Forces: General says Britain could have too much state-of-the-art equipment and no troops to use it | Mail Online

Defence chief: UK armed forces have good equipment but not enough people | Politics | theguardian.com

CDS' speech at RUSI:

RUSI - Previous Events

 

[Handler]

Has it really taken all this time for comments like this to be aired ? All these thoughts and consequences have been on the agenda for yonks.

 

[Passed-over_Loggie]

At the risk of duplicating thoughts and comments; http://www.navy-net.co.uk/current-a...navy-under-significant-manpower-pressure.html

 

[onions]

So tell us what we have been telling you for ages. Too many committments, too few bods.

 

[Sharkey]

Another bloke on the news says, this has been said because there is a defence review due and he's getting getting the, dont make any more cuts, message in ahead of it.

 

[Deleted 493]

Another bloke on the news says, this has been said because there is a defence review due and he's getting getting the, dont make any more cuts, message in ahead of it.

And of course, our career parliamentarians will act accordingly.

levers

 

[soleil]

Pompey News: "Ministers Must ‘Sit Up And Listen’ After Manpower Warning"

Ministers must ‘sit up and listen’ after manpower warning - Portsmouth News

 

[soleil]

Scotsman: "Malcolm Rifkind Calls For Rethink On Defence Cuts"

"The UK government has come under pressure from a grandee on its own backbenches to reverse its defence cuts after the country’s most senior officer warned that there was a danger the UK could be left with “hollowed out armed forces.”

The attack from General Sir Nicholas Houghton, the Chief of Defence staff, has prompted former Tory defence secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who now chairs the security and intelligence committee, to call for a rethink on strategy."

Malcolm Rifkind calls for rethink on defence cuts - The Scotsman

 

[Passed-over_Loggie]

Rifkind“The one encouraging aspect is that manpower can be reversed relatively quickly if resources and circumstances require it. Capital projects take many, many years.

Spot on. General Nick's angle will have the politicos juggling kit against bodies (good that he made the point, though). The salient point is that balanced and sustainable Defence needs more money. We also need a hearts and minds programme to explain to the voters what the money they spend on Defence actually does for them. Thanks to Blare and others, the true picture has become hidiously skewed.

 

[cjg375]

Rifkind“The one encouraging aspect is that manpower can be reversed relatively quickly if resources and circumstances require it. Capital projects take many, many years.

That is off course unless you lose a lot of senior rates who have taken you about 10-15 years to train to that point. Unless we can just open a tin of Chiefs these days or even recruit direct to Chief or PO. At the moment certain branches are haemorrhaging people at all levels which cannot be reversed quickly by opening the recruiting taps more.

 

[notafourknotfudgepacker]

Rifkind“The one encouraging aspect is that manpower can be reversed relatively quickly if resources and circumstances require it. Capital projects take many, many years.

That is off course unless you lose a lot of senior rates who have taken you about 10-15 years to train to that point. Unless we can just open a tin of Chiefs these days or even recruit direct to Chief or PO. At the moment certain branches are haemorrhaging people at all levels which cannot be reversed quickly by opening the recruiting taps more.

Spot on - he is talking shite. When you lose experienced Senior Rates/WOs, particularly Engineers, in significant quantities they cannot be replaced relatively quickly. This is something the Defence Board had better get their heads round pretty quickly

 

[soleil]

Lord Ashcroft: When the Chief of the Defence Staff gives a blunt warning about our Armed Forces, we should all listen carefully | Conservative Home