Ingram confirms details of RAF cuts
The Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram has announced details of the cuts in the RAF, which were trailed in July this year.
Though the Government insists that the reduction is necessary to make the service more efficient and responsive, opponents have sharply criticised the plans claiming the RAF is already overstretched.
The July 2004 White Paper “Delivering Security in a Changing World: Future Capabilities” announced plans to reduce the RAF’s overall strength from 48,900 to 41,000 by 2008.
To meet this, the recruitment target has been reduced and there will be 2750 redundancies.
Though the MoD has said it hopes the majority of these will be voluntarily, it is not ruling out compulsory redundancies “in order to maintain balance of experience and ability.”
The first wave of redundancies, of 450 personnel, will leave the RAF by March 2006.
In a statement to the House of Commons, Mr Ingram said: “We have always said that tough choices would need to be made – the world has changed and the Armed Forces must change with it.
“This restructuring is crucial to creating a flexible and adaptable RAF, equipped to deal with the challenges we now face.
“We realise that these plans may be met with concern by some. However, it is important that we give clarity to our personnel on the future and we will continue to work closely with staff to minimise any uncertainty.”
The Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Paul Keetch described the redundancies as a “bombshell” to the service.
He said: “Following the closure of bases announced earlier this year, these redundancies are a bombshell for the RAF and could undermine the morale and effectiveness of the service.
“It is ludicrous to implement cuts at a time when 87 per cent of the RAF believe overstretch is causing serious problems, and half believe that morale is low. We should be supporting and enhancing the service, not reducing numbers.”
The 87 per cent claim is taken from the RAF Continuous General Attitude Survey of 2000 RAF staff.
