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Army weakened by recruitment failure
Shortfall worsens despite record spending
Mark Townsend The Observer, Sunday April 27 2008
The British army's frontline fighting capability has been severely weakened by an acute manpower shortage that has left military commanders short of two infantry battalions. An internal Whitehall memo reveals that the British infantry is 1,280 men short of full fighting strength ahead of the fresh spring offensive in Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Defence memorandum revealed that even though it had spent more than £95m on recruitment in the last 12 months - a record amount, and up by almost £30m five years ago - the army has failed to attract the recruits it most desperately needs.
Already every battalion of 600 in Afghanistan is experiencing a shortfall of 100 men because of problems of recruitment and numbers leaving the army, the memo said. During the fierce fighting last year, the British army had three infantry battalions in Afghanistan at any one time.
In addition, the document, submitted by the MoD to a parliamentary inquiry into manning and retention rates, identifies almost 100 critical 'pinch points' that are having a 'detrimental impact' on the ability of the armed forces to conduct two major conflicts.
Defence officials have identified 30 'pinch points' caused by personnel shortages in the army, with another 31 in the Royal Air Force - including aircraft gunners and intelligence analysts - and a further nine in the Royal Navy.
Among the factors cited by officials for low recruitment rates is obesity. It states: 'Increasing levels of obesity and resultant health problems among young people reduce the number eligible to join.'
Other shortages identified include junior vehicle mechanics, which are also desperately needed for conducting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, with the army alone unable to fill 535 spaces. Elsewhere, the MoD admits a shortfall of 29 per cent among medical personnel and a 75 per cent shortfall in army radiologists at or above the rank of Major.
Shadow Defence Secretary Liam Fox said: 'These figures are extremely worrying. This is the inevitable result of a failure by the government to uphold the Military Covenant and the last decade of overstretch and neglect. The increasing retention and manning crisis will continue to add strain to our already overstretched armed forces.'
Last week the defence secretary, Des Browne, confirmed that Britain's 4,000-strong force will remain in Basra as tensions remain. Meanwhile, the deployment of an almost 8,000-strong UK presence from 16 Air Assault Brigade has arrived in Helmand province, Afghanistan, where Taliban forces are expected to resume fighting soon.
A £15,000 loyalty bonus is to be offered to members of the armed forces in a desperate effort to boost retention rates and halt an exodus driven by the strains of fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
· British troops who have sustained serious injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan are to be awarded higher compensation, the army's second most senior officer has announced. Speaking in an interview in The Sunday Telegraph newspaper, General Sir David Richards said the current compensation rates were inadequate. It is believed that the new payments could be three times higher than those paid at present.
Shortfall worsens despite record spending
Mark Townsend The Observer, Sunday April 27 2008
The British army's frontline fighting capability has been severely weakened by an acute manpower shortage that has left military commanders short of two infantry battalions. An internal Whitehall memo reveals that the British infantry is 1,280 men short of full fighting strength ahead of the fresh spring offensive in Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Defence memorandum revealed that even though it had spent more than £95m on recruitment in the last 12 months - a record amount, and up by almost £30m five years ago - the army has failed to attract the recruits it most desperately needs.
Already every battalion of 600 in Afghanistan is experiencing a shortfall of 100 men because of problems of recruitment and numbers leaving the army, the memo said. During the fierce fighting last year, the British army had three infantry battalions in Afghanistan at any one time.
In addition, the document, submitted by the MoD to a parliamentary inquiry into manning and retention rates, identifies almost 100 critical 'pinch points' that are having a 'detrimental impact' on the ability of the armed forces to conduct two major conflicts.
Defence officials have identified 30 'pinch points' caused by personnel shortages in the army, with another 31 in the Royal Air Force - including aircraft gunners and intelligence analysts - and a further nine in the Royal Navy.
Among the factors cited by officials for low recruitment rates is obesity. It states: 'Increasing levels of obesity and resultant health problems among young people reduce the number eligible to join.'
Other shortages identified include junior vehicle mechanics, which are also desperately needed for conducting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, with the army alone unable to fill 535 spaces. Elsewhere, the MoD admits a shortfall of 29 per cent among medical personnel and a 75 per cent shortfall in army radiologists at or above the rank of Major.
Shadow Defence Secretary Liam Fox said: 'These figures are extremely worrying. This is the inevitable result of a failure by the government to uphold the Military Covenant and the last decade of overstretch and neglect. The increasing retention and manning crisis will continue to add strain to our already overstretched armed forces.'
Last week the defence secretary, Des Browne, confirmed that Britain's 4,000-strong force will remain in Basra as tensions remain. Meanwhile, the deployment of an almost 8,000-strong UK presence from 16 Air Assault Brigade has arrived in Helmand province, Afghanistan, where Taliban forces are expected to resume fighting soon.
A £15,000 loyalty bonus is to be offered to members of the armed forces in a desperate effort to boost retention rates and halt an exodus driven by the strains of fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
· British troops who have sustained serious injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan are to be awarded higher compensation, the army's second most senior officer has announced. Speaking in an interview in The Sunday Telegraph newspaper, General Sir David Richards said the current compensation rates were inadequate. It is believed that the new payments could be three times higher than those paid at present.
