https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/a...osts-bhwm5d856
Admirals thrown to sharks as ‘top-heavy’ navy tries to cut costs
Five Royal Navy admirals face walking the plank while the fleet’s Portsmouth headquarters is to be cut by almost half in the biggest shake-up of the high command in a generation.......
The navy has long been criticised for having more admirals than warships and the new defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has lambasted navy chiefs for the number of ships and submarines stuck in harbour awaiting repairs or lacking crews.....
Admiral Tony Radakin, the first sea lord, has decided to move fast to make the navy less top heavy and hopes to transfer hundreds of officers and sailors from shore jobs to the frontline fleet. “The navy leadership have concluded that if they don’t do this, they will have something worse imposed on them,” a senior defence source said.
Navy officers have dubbed the first sea lord “Radical Radakin” for his attempt to cut the number of admirals from 42 to 37. In the frame for the axe are five rear admirals — so-called two-star officers — including the head of sea training and other senior administrative roles. More junior officers will be given responsibility for their work.
All five admiral roles are going from the Navy’s Whale Island headquarters near Portsmouth naval base, where 14 admirals work. The rest of the admirals are based outside the fleet in the Ministry of Defence main building in London, at the ministry’s procurement organisation at Bristol and in several Nato headquarters around Europe. These officers are not under Radakin’s direct control.....
Radakin has also ordered an end to the job for life culture among middle ranking officers, with new employment rules for more than 200 captain-ranked officers — equivalent to army colonels and RAF group captains — being brought in. Previously they could serve automatically until the age of 55. In future they will have to retire if they are not selected for a new job after completing two three-year postings. This could lead to scores of officers retiring early in their mid forties and allow dozens of desk jobs to be cut.........