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Army reservists to get £40m of kit Army reservists to receive more benefits
(about 5 hours later)
Army reservists are to be given £40m of new kit and more overseas training, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond is expected to announce later. Army reservists are to get military pensions and healthcare benefits as part of a bid to increase numbers, the defence secretary has announced.
He will say 68 reserve units will be formed and paired with regular units. Philip Hammond said they would also get increased remuneration, in a move designed to drive up reserve numbers from about 20,000 to 35,000 by 2018.
It is part of a long-term plan to cut the size of the regular Army from 102,000 to 82,000 while increasing reservist numbers by 15,000 to 30,000. He said the changes were "key" to the future of the UK's armed forces, as the size of the regular army is reduced.
Critics say it is an attempt to create "an army on the cheap". Mr Hammond insists savings had to be made. But critics have said it is an attempt to create "an army on the cheap".
BBC defence correspondent Caroline Wyatt said the Territorial Army was being renamed the Army Reserve because the government was keen to ensure reservists could serve more closely alongside their regular counterparts. The White Paper proposals come nearly three years after the coalition said it would reduce regular army numbers from 102,000 to 80,000.
The government is expected to give reserves more hi-tech equipment this year, including upgraded SA80 rifles and night vision kit as well as improved training and more opportunities to train abroad. Mr Hammond told the Commons the government would invest £1.8bn over 10 years in the reserves.
Some £80m is to be invested in the depots and training grounds of the 68 new units. The "substantial changes" would recognise the "extraordinary commitment" reservists and their employers make, he said.
The proposals will also aim to offer employers greater predictability over the call-out of reservists and will set out the level of financial incentives for small firms that employ them. 'Job is changing'
And reserve units will be paired with regular units from 2015, with more joint training. Under the plans, reservists will be entitled to a day's paid leave for every eight they serve, meaning that overall they will get a "substantial percentage increase" in their remuneration, said Mr Hammond.
A Ministry of Defence source described the plans, which include a government commitment to spending £1.8bn over 10 years to transform the reserves, as "a radical overhaul". Small private sector firms employing part-time soldiers will also get an extra £500 per month when they are on deployment, the defence secretary said.
In April, Tory MP Col Bob Stewart suggested someone at the MoD was "smoking a lot of dope" to believe it would be possible to deploy 30,000 reserve troops. There will also be more notice given for deployments to make it easier for companies to plan.
He said some reservist soldiers would be unable to deploy because it was "inconvenient". From April 2015, reservists will be able to accrue armed forces pensions while training, as well as when deployed, and will have access to healthcare benefits similar to those given to serving soldiers.
"The government, my government, is trying to get as inexpensive an army as possible... an army on the cheap," he said. And companies that discriminate against staff who want to serve will be more open to action at employment tribunals.
Mr Hammond, who says employers are critical to "making this work", said: "Having a standing army is very expensive. The defence secretary also confirmed the intention to change the reserve force name from the Territorial Army to the Army Reserve to better to reflect the future role.
"Having reserves who are able to deploy in the fourth and fifth turn of an enduring operation like Afghanistan gives us extra flexibility and it does make financial sense." He said: "The job we are asking our reservists to do is changing. The way we organise and train them will also have to change."
Some 26 reservist bases - of a total of 334 - are to be closed as part of the reorganisation, he said.
About £40m of investment in kit, such as night vision kit and helmet cameras, will be brought forward, he said.
'See danger'
In April, Tory MP Col Bob Stewart said the government was "trying to get as inexpensive an army as possible... an army on the cheap".
Speaking shortly before Mr Hammond's statement, he said the commitment businesses had to make to reservists could make it unworkable for small firms.
He said: "If you're a large organisation like British Aerospace or the Ministry of Defence itself or the civil service, it might not be as big a problem, but it's a much bigger problem when you go down in scale, so you go to a company of say 10, 15 people...
"It's my job as a member of parliament to even criticise sometimes my own government when I think there's a danger. I do see a danger."
The latest plans come as a result of the almost 8% cut to the MoD budget announced in 2010.The latest plans come as a result of the almost 8% cut to the MoD budget announced in 2010.
The 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 MoD aims to reach its target of 82,000 regular soldiers by 2017, while the number of reservists is to increase from its 2010 level of 15,000 to 30,000 in 2018.