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| Army redundancy letters expected | Army redundancy letters expected |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Up to 5,000 military personnel are due to receive redundancy letters later in the third and biggest round of Army job cuts following the 2010 defence review. | Up to 5,000 military personnel are due to receive redundancy letters later in the third and biggest round of Army job cuts following the 2010 defence review. |
| They are part of a long-term plan to cut the number of regular soldiers from 102,000 to 82,000. The government plans to increase the number of reservists. | They are part of a long-term plan to cut the number of regular soldiers from 102,000 to 82,000. The government plans to increase the number of reservists. |
| Those serving in Afghanistan will not be made redundant in this round of cuts unless they have volunteered. | Those serving in Afghanistan will not be made redundant in this round of cuts unless they have volunteered. |
| The government has said the Army "must live within its means". | The government has said the Army "must live within its means". |
| The Ministry of Defence (MoD) aims to reach its target of 82,000 regular soldiers by 2017 while the number of reservists is to increase from 15,000, in 2010, to 30,000 in 2018. | The Ministry of Defence (MoD) aims to reach its target of 82,000 regular soldiers by 2017 while the number of reservists is to increase from 15,000, in 2010, to 30,000 in 2018. |
| The latest cuts - the largest single tranche of redundancies - come at a time when the MoD is still negotiating its budget settlement ahead of the Whitehall spending review on 26 June. | The latest cuts - the largest single tranche of redundancies - come at a time when the MoD is still negotiating its budget settlement ahead of the Whitehall spending review on 26 June. |
| Unsettling process | Unsettling process |
| BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said the latest redundancies were a result of the almost 8% cut to the MoD's budget announced in 2010 - and a powerful reason why the department has argued it cannot face more cuts in manpower in the current spending round. | BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said the latest redundancies were a result of the almost 8% cut to the MoD's budget announced in 2010 - and a powerful reason why the department has argued it cannot face more cuts in manpower in the current spending round. |
| She said different ranks and fields of expertise had been chosen for redundancy, with volunteers asked to come forward. | She said different ranks and fields of expertise had been chosen for redundancy, with volunteers asked to come forward. |
| The restructuring of the Army was an unsettling process for many soldiers and their families, she added. | The restructuring of the Army was an unsettling process for many soldiers and their families, she added. |
| Maj Chris Braithwaite, who left the Army this week after he was told a year ago he would be made redundant, said the timing meant he was 87 days short of being entitled to much better pension rights. | Maj Chris Braithwaite, who left the Army this week after he was told a year ago he would be made redundant, said the timing meant he was 87 days short of being entitled to much better pension rights. |
| Maj Braithwaite, who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said the government's actions were contrary to the military covenant - a promise of a duty of care in return for sacrifices made. | Maj Braithwaite, who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said the government's actions were contrary to the military covenant - a promise of a duty of care in return for sacrifices made. |
| "It's a real feeling of being let down - it's a bond of trust between the Armed Forces and the nation, the military covenant," he told BBC News. | "It's a real feeling of being let down - it's a bond of trust between the Armed Forces and the nation, the military covenant," he told BBC News. |
| "It's what makes the armed forces unique. | "It's what makes the armed forces unique. |
| "We feel we've been let down and the trust we've placed in politicians and military leaders has not been repaid." | "We feel we've been let down and the trust we've placed in politicians and military leaders has not been repaid." |
| And the Army Families Federation has warned that redundancy for soldiers often meant "a complicated and worrying process" for their families. | And the Army Families Federation has warned that redundancy for soldiers often meant "a complicated and worrying process" for their families. |
| 'Very disruptive' | 'Very disruptive' |
| Ministers have previously said they could not guarantee all of the redundancies would be made from those who applied. | Ministers have previously said they could not guarantee all of the redundancies would be made from those who applied. |
| Some 60% of redundancies in the first tranche had come from applicants and more than 70% in the second. | Some 60% of redundancies in the first tranche had come from applicants and more than 70% in the second. |
| In the third round of cuts no personnel preparing for, serving on, or recovering from deployments on Wednesday will lose their jobs unless they have applied for redundancy. | In the third round of cuts no personnel preparing for, serving on, or recovering from deployments on Wednesday will lose their jobs unless they have applied for redundancy. |
| But the MoD said personnel fitting into those categories could be affected by further cuts next year. | But the MoD said personnel fitting into those categories could be affected by further cuts next year. |
| The Army says that, even as it makes the latest redundancies, it still needs to recruit 10,000 new soldiers and officers this year, as well as 6,000 reservists. | The Army says that, even as it makes the latest redundancies, it still needs to recruit 10,000 new soldiers and officers this year, as well as 6,000 reservists. |
| It says this is necessary in order to keep its structure and age range in balance, with both soldiers and officers needing to start at the bottom of the hierarchy. | It says this is necessary in order to keep its structure and age range in balance, with both soldiers and officers needing to start at the bottom of the hierarchy. |
| In response to a freedom of information request from the BBC, the MoD said that the Army, Navy and Air Force together recruited over 35,000 operational staff between October 2010 and February 2013. | |
| Redundancy pay-outs for service personnel over the same period have totalled £194m, the MoD added. | |
| The Army's Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Peter Wall, said: "We aren't just going to carry on doing the things we have in the past. We're going to put a greater dependence on reserves and contractors, as we have been to a large extent in Afghanistan. | |
| "By doing things differently and by making sure that we focus our military manpower on the jobs that absolutely have to be done by people in uniform, we shall be able to sustain a brigade in the field on an enduring basis, and put a division into the field when we need to. We'll still be able to deal with the challenges of the future." | |
| On Friday, he had warned that gaps between military resources and planned capabilities caused by spending cuts "could become quite dangerous, quite quickly". | |
| Prime Minister David Cameron, also speaking on Friday, told a Downing Street news conference the UK had "very strong armed forces and ones the whole country can be proud of". | Prime Minister David Cameron, also speaking on Friday, told a Downing Street news conference the UK had "very strong armed forces and ones the whole country can be proud of". |
| "We're not going to be making further cuts to the numbers of our Army, navy or air force, they know what they have available." | "We're not going to be making further cuts to the numbers of our Army, navy or air force, they know what they have available." |
| But he said "no department can be excluded from being efficient, from saving money, from making sure we get the best possible value for every pound that we take from the taxpayers and spend". | But he said "no department can be excluded from being efficient, from saving money, from making sure we get the best possible value for every pound that we take from the taxpayers and spend". |