If we are serious about saving money and maintaining military capability why don’t the four stars/ Senior Civil Servants that actually run the Armed Forces run it like a business? Retain your core personnel and know their value both in terms of what you have invested in them and their worth outside. If within the Armed Forces some groups of individuals are expensive to train and/ or their skills are essential to your output (could be engineers/ aircrew/ insert category here) then why on earth would you let them walk without trying to entice them to stay? It doesn’t make sense from a financial or capability view. The people in the Armed Forces are quality individuals that UK industry values highly; particularly the SNCOs and Officers. I have not known, over the last 20 odd years, of anyone leaving the Armed Forces not gaining useful employment; I know there will be the odd case but they are the exception. The 3-month notice period required by the individual or organisation post 1 April 2015 works both ways….
The perfect HR storm has been forecast for some time and the winds ahead of the front are here now and increasing. NEM is seen by your workforce as a cost saving exercise, the pension changes as flawed (even if you get an extension to age 60 what are you going to do for the next 7 years?) and your workforce only knows the reality of the continual salami slicing of their and their family’s quality of life and yes the decreasing ability to have any ‘fun’ anymore. None of this is going to keep people in.
If one hundred aircrew walk how much will it cost to the MoD replace them? How does this match against your anticipated cost savings?