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"The Army proposes to axe almost 3,000 soldiers in a new round of redundancies in January. The job losses have been drawn up despite concerns that a push to expand the Territorial Army is failing to hit recruitment targets.
More sackings are certain to embarrass the Prime Minister, who has come under fire for the scale of cuts.
Armed Forces documents seen by The Times reveal friction between the Ministry of Defence and Downing Street over how the full-time Army should be shrunk to an affordable size.
David Cameron is increasingly sensitive to the bad publicity that surrounded soldiers losing their jobs, an Army source said. More than 11,000 military personnel have been pushed out in three rounds of redundancy since 2011.
The coalition Government has demanded that troop numbers fall from 102,000 to 82,000 by the end of the decade. But the documents show how the Army is worried that Downing Street might intervene to prevent more job losses.
No 10 would prefer to see troop numbers fall through retirements or people leaving of their own accord, Army sources say. Military chiefs want the freedom to choose those who will be axed, in order to shape the new Army.
The Armed Forces Redundancy Steering Group wrote in July that the Army would lose between 2,500 and 2,900 jobs in the latest round of cuts.
A proposed announcement is set for January, with confirmation of the final number losing their jobs expected in May.
Colonel Ian Brazier, a former Army officer who heckled Philip Hammond at the Tory party conference this week over military cuts, said he was worried about the latest plan because the drive to increase the size of the TA by 10,000 soldiers was not working. “The ruthless cutting continues but the reserves supposed to be plugging the gap have not yet been recruited,” he said.
Up to 150 RAF staff and 17 from the Royal Navy – all medical and dental officers – would also be made redundant, according to the internal document, which was marked “Restricted – Management”.
The RAF and the Navy, which have already shed thousands of personnel since 2011, could reveal their redundancy schedule next month, though the documents show concern about possible political interference over the timing of any news.
The military was worried that Downing Street would demand that job losses across all three services were announced together. The documents suggest that the MoD kept No 10 informed from the start so that ministers were aware of what was proposed.
Colonel Richard Kemp, a former Army officer, said that the MoD should focus more on lobbying David Cameron for extra money to retain soldiers rather than looking at ways to ensure that the redundancy programme can go ahead.
“We know there is a manning crisis,” he said. “The future structures of the reserves are going very wrong and are proving that they are not workable. More redundancies sends out the message that the Armed Forces is a declining trade.”
An Army source said: “Half a decade of rolling cuts ... are taking their toll on Army morale. The Army is haemorrhaging its best people.”
A spokeswoman for the MoD confirmed that another round of redundancies was being considered but that no decision had been made.
“These redundancies are not new and were announced in the Strategic Defence Security Review in October 2010 and again in July 2012,” she said.
“Following last year’s redundancies which were 84 per cent voluntary, we were clear that a fourth tranche, affecting Army personnel and a small number of medical and dental personnel from the Navy and RAF, could be needed. Outflow and recruitment rates will be taken into account before any decisions are taken on any final redundancies.”
On the question of political interference, a defence source said: “It is only natural that ministers would take a close interest in Armed Forces redundancies and the necessary recruitment process as we restructure the Armed Forces; however the entire Armed Forces Redundancy Programme is led by the three single Services. They are responsible for their own redundancies and ultimately decide on how many people are made redundant.” "
Army to shed 3,000 more jobs amid heavy political fighting | The Times
More sackings are certain to embarrass the Prime Minister, who has come under fire for the scale of cuts.
Armed Forces documents seen by The Times reveal friction between the Ministry of Defence and Downing Street over how the full-time Army should be shrunk to an affordable size.
David Cameron is increasingly sensitive to the bad publicity that surrounded soldiers losing their jobs, an Army source said. More than 11,000 military personnel have been pushed out in three rounds of redundancy since 2011.
The coalition Government has demanded that troop numbers fall from 102,000 to 82,000 by the end of the decade. But the documents show how the Army is worried that Downing Street might intervene to prevent more job losses.
No 10 would prefer to see troop numbers fall through retirements or people leaving of their own accord, Army sources say. Military chiefs want the freedom to choose those who will be axed, in order to shape the new Army.
The Armed Forces Redundancy Steering Group wrote in July that the Army would lose between 2,500 and 2,900 jobs in the latest round of cuts.
A proposed announcement is set for January, with confirmation of the final number losing their jobs expected in May.
Colonel Ian Brazier, a former Army officer who heckled Philip Hammond at the Tory party conference this week over military cuts, said he was worried about the latest plan because the drive to increase the size of the TA by 10,000 soldiers was not working. “The ruthless cutting continues but the reserves supposed to be plugging the gap have not yet been recruited,” he said.
Up to 150 RAF staff and 17 from the Royal Navy – all medical and dental officers – would also be made redundant, according to the internal document, which was marked “Restricted – Management”.
The RAF and the Navy, which have already shed thousands of personnel since 2011, could reveal their redundancy schedule next month, though the documents show concern about possible political interference over the timing of any news.
The military was worried that Downing Street would demand that job losses across all three services were announced together. The documents suggest that the MoD kept No 10 informed from the start so that ministers were aware of what was proposed.
Colonel Richard Kemp, a former Army officer, said that the MoD should focus more on lobbying David Cameron for extra money to retain soldiers rather than looking at ways to ensure that the redundancy programme can go ahead.
“We know there is a manning crisis,” he said. “The future structures of the reserves are going very wrong and are proving that they are not workable. More redundancies sends out the message that the Armed Forces is a declining trade.”
An Army source said: “Half a decade of rolling cuts ... are taking their toll on Army morale. The Army is haemorrhaging its best people.”
A spokeswoman for the MoD confirmed that another round of redundancies was being considered but that no decision had been made.
“These redundancies are not new and were announced in the Strategic Defence Security Review in October 2010 and again in July 2012,” she said.
“Following last year’s redundancies which were 84 per cent voluntary, we were clear that a fourth tranche, affecting Army personnel and a small number of medical and dental personnel from the Navy and RAF, could be needed. Outflow and recruitment rates will be taken into account before any decisions are taken on any final redundancies.”
On the question of political interference, a defence source said: “It is only natural that ministers would take a close interest in Armed Forces redundancies and the necessary recruitment process as we restructure the Armed Forces; however the entire Armed Forces Redundancy Programme is led by the three single Services. They are responsible for their own redundancies and ultimately decide on how many people are made redundant.” "
Army to shed 3,000 more jobs amid heavy political fighting | The Times