More than 4000 Military Staff Made Redundant

Portsmouth Naval Base has confirmed that 170 of the redundancies will be from the navy - but they can't confirm how many sailors in Hampshire will be affected.

The other figures are as follows:

-More than 700 from the RAF

-2900 from the Army

 

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said:

“Of course I regret that it has been necessary to make redundancies to deliver our plans for reducing the size of the Armed Forces. We inherited a multi billion pound black hole in the defence budget which had meant the previous Government had not been able to afford to properly equip our troops with the kit they needed.

“We’ve now brought the defence budget back into balance for the first time in a generation. We will have smaller Armed Forces but we will ensure they will have the protection and equipment they need.

“The Royal Navy and RAF redundancy figures are smaller than anticipated due to the MoD’s ability to use other measures such as slowing recruitment. No further significant reductions are expected for the Royal Navy or RAF. We still have some way to go to bring the size of the Army down to 82,000 and decisions on what is necessary to achieve this are yet to be taken, but we won’t compromise the mission in Afghanistan.”

 

Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir David Richards said:

“I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere thanks to those who will be leaving the Services for their contribution to our Armed Forces and to the nation’s security. Some of you may see redundancy as an opportunity. Others will see it as a significant challenge. Your chain of command will support you during the redundancy process, and I would encourage you to make full use of the comprehensive resettlement package as you make the transition to civilian life. I would also encourage those who are eligible to consider applying for transfer to shortage categories within any of the three Services.”

 

A statement read: 

  • These redundancies are not new. The Strategic Defence Security Review announced a reduction of 17,000 posts from the Regular Armed Forces (5,000 each from the Navy and RAF and 7,000 from the Army). A further reduction of 12,000 to the Army was announced as a result of the Three-Month Exercise (3ME).
  • These are the last cuts for the Navy, Marines and RAF. We still have some way to go to bring the size of the Army down to 82,000. Decisions on what is necessary to achieve this are yet to be taken.
  • We have done everything we can to avoid redundancies. The RAF and Navy have not had to take their maximum yields as they successfully reduced recruiting and gave fewer extensions of service. The Army was not able to do this as it must continue to reduce to 82,000.
  • We have also done everything we can to avoid non-applicant redundancies.

What happens now?

  • Personnel selected for redundancy will be told face to face by their chain of command.
  • Applicants will leave on or before 11 December 2012. Non-applicants will leave on or before 11 June 2013.
  • The MOD will publish a full breakdown of the applications and selections for Tranche 2 on the DASA website in due course.
  • Regional information will be included in this breakdown but it would be misleading to make any assumptions about regional job losses as individuals have been selected, not the posts they occupy.

Who is exempt?

  • Personnel who did not apply and are currently serving, preparing for, or recovering from operations where they receive an Operational Allowance, such as Afghanistan. Personnel recovering from serious injuries sustained on operations are also exempt.

What support is in place?

  • Every year around 24,000 personnel leave the Armed Forces. We know the transition into civilian life can be daunting which is why we have a robust resettlement programme which is used by the vast majority of personnel.
  • Historically, 92% of those who look for work are in full-time employment within 6 months of leaving, rising to 97% after 12 months.
  • An estimated 58% of those who have left under Tranche 1 have already found alternative employment within just 3 months.