ANALYSIS: Miltary faces 'perfect storm' of budget vs need

[SamYeager]

Originally Posted by Leon Jabachjabicz

I agree we need our own managed and secure system for SECRET and above, but for OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE and below do we really need such an expensive system?

Because the profit from the OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE system helps cover the cost of the SECRET system.

[BEagle]

Total Force? Or total farce...

I see that the MoD's jolly clever idea of recruiting reservists isn't going too well.....

The latest Ministry of Defence manning figures show the number of Army reservists rose from 19,290 to just 19,310 despite a multi-million pound recruitment campaign.

The MoD insists it is still on track to grow the Army’s reserve forces from 19,000 to 30,000 by 2019, as the number of regular troops is cut by 20,000.

Growing, re-equipping and retraining the Army’s reserve forces is a cornerstone of the Coalition’s cost-cutting defence reforms.

Hence all these expensive reservist recruiting adverts on TV, I guess?

No doubt this will be of interest after the General Election when the next round of defence cuts is examined.....

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

I remember thinking, during the the IOT office simulator phase back in the Cold War, just how efficient the Pers/Admin system was. One guy checks a book, looks at a couple of files, maybe phones a mate or has a quick word with his Boss or Flt Sgt, makes a decision and writes a chitty. Things happened. That was when everything was in house.
The current dog's breakfast is vastly less efficient and more expensive (I've recently watched an Army Officer on the phone for 3 hours trying to get reimbursed for a Duty hotel stay in Poland - without success), it's just that it's now on someone else's budget. Ultimately however, it's all on the taxpayer's budget.

The Reserve system is all of the aggro and almost none of the benefits - no wonder nobody wants to join it.

The MoD insists it is still on track

Well, that's a straight lie.

However, recruitment of new regular soldiers was behind schedule in 2013-14. The Army recruited 6,366 regular soldiers against a target of 9,715 (a shortfall of 34 per cent).
1,975 reserve soldiers recruited by Capita in 2013-14 against a December*2012 Army Demand Plan requirement of 6,000

Here's the full NAO report

http://www.nao.org.uk/report/army-2020-2/

The MOD decision to reduce the size of the regular Army and increase the number of trained Army reserves was taken without appropriate testing of feasibility or evaluation of risk.

That's the simple headline; by the Government itself.

How can the MoD claim it's on track? Easy - there's no track!

The Army has not publicly detailed what aspects of the transition to Army 2020 it needs to achieve by when for it to operate effectively. This makes it difficult to measure progress towards full implementation. The Army has also not set clear trigger points for enacting any contingency plans.

If an Officer Cadet did this in training, s/he'd be failed.

[Bigbux]

Leon

Here you go, more ideas to save money...

I'd vote for you...can we include a restriction on NHS care for smokers and fatties?..also ugly people. Oh hang on...scrub that last one.

[mr fish]

I know a way to save money, no more pointless, illegal wars.


In response to the person who suggested out of work people should "clear litter" or "paint stuff", well these jobs are currently (as far as I'm aware) done by STREET CLEANERS and PAINTERS.


My point being, if the job is worth doing EMPLOY THEM and pay, you know, like wages. That way they can, you know, like pay taxes and stuff.




FISH.

[Bigbux]

I know a way to save money, no more pointless, illegal wars.

Hear hear, I hate them when they are pointless, and as for being illegal - well that's just laziness in not stretching legal opinion far enough.