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Army cuts plan brings risks, says National Audit Office Army cuts plan brings risks, says National Audit Office
(about 1 hour later)
Plans to scale back the UK's regular Army and increase reservists come with "significant risks", the National Audit Office has warned. Plans to scale back the UK's regular Army and increase reservists come with "significant risks" to its operational abilities, the National Audit Office has warned.
The spending watchdog's report said the decision was taken without "appropriate testing of feasibility".The spending watchdog's report said the decision was taken without "appropriate testing of feasibility".
The Ministry of Defence hopes to raise the numbers of trained reservists from 19,000 to 30,000 by 2018. The Ministry of Defence hopes to raise the numbers of trained reservists from the current 19,400 to 30,000 by 2018.
The NAO said the cuts "significantly affect the Army's ability to achieve its objectives and value for money". It said it was confident the recruitment targets would be met.
The restructuring programme, known as Army 2020, was set out in the coalition's 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review. The regular Army will reduced from 102,000 in 2010 to 82,000 in 2018. The NAO said the MoD plan could "significantly affect the Army's ability to achieve its objectives and value for money".
It is hoped savings of £10.6bn between 2021-22 will be made as a result. The restructuring programme, known as Army 2020, was set out in the coalition's 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review. The regular Army will be reduced from 102,000 in 2010 to 82,000 in 2018, while the reserves will go up from 15,000.
It is hoped savings of £10.6bn will be made between 2021-22 as a result.
Single forceSingle force
Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, said military judgement played an important role in the overall strategic plan.Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, said military judgement played an important role in the overall strategic plan.
But he said the MoD and Army "must get a better understanding of significant risks to Army 2020 - notably, the extent to which it is dependent on other major programmes and the risk that the shortfall in recruitment of new reserves will up the pressure on regular units."But he said the MoD and Army "must get a better understanding of significant risks to Army 2020 - notably, the extent to which it is dependent on other major programmes and the risk that the shortfall in recruitment of new reserves will up the pressure on regular units."
The NAO said the trained strength of the Army reserve in April 2014 was 19,400, down from 19,410 two years earlier. The NAO said a total of 3,020 soldiers entered the reserve last year putting the trained strength at 19,400 in April 2014.
Recruitment will need to "increase substantially" over the next five years if the plans are to be met, the NAO said.
Other risks cited in the report include the challenge of implementing Army 2020 alongside "other substantial change programmes", including the return of UK troops from Germany.Other risks cited in the report include the challenge of implementing Army 2020 alongside "other substantial change programmes", including the return of UK troops from Germany.
It also notes that Army 2020 seeks to integrate regulars and reserves fully within a single force structure for the first time.It also notes that Army 2020 seeks to integrate regulars and reserves fully within a single force structure for the first time.
"The Army should develop contingency plans to be enacted if it fails to fully staff the Army 2020 structure, it added. "The Army needs to establish what these actions will be and clear criteria for triggering them."
The NAO said management company Capita's role in the recruitment plans depended on the MoD providing the right IT system but it failed to deliver them in March last year. The Army is incurring increased operational costs of about £1m ahead of its expected launch in summer 2015.
'Pause redundancies'
The MoD has to sign off the report before it is released and its publication was delayed amid reported wrangling with the NAO over its conclusions.
General Sir Peter Wall, Chief of the General Staff, said the report "fails to capture the nature of the austerity we faced" at the time the decisions were taken.
He added: "Thankfully, most of the structural change for our new model... is now behind us. We are recruiting regular and reserve soldiers for this new Army avidly. I am confident that, having made such significant changes, the Army 2020 model will endure."
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the armed forces were being restructured to ensure they can defend against new and emerging threats.
"In future, they will be smaller, but better equipped, able to deploy rapidly to protect our interests anywhere in the world and supported by an integrated Reserve force."
He added: "The MoD has always been clear that the numbers in the reserves would fall before they increased, but we have now seen the trained strength of the reserves climb for the first time in nearly 20 years. While there is much still to do, we are confident of achieving the target."
Shadow defence secretary Vernon Coaker suggested the restructuring plans risked leaving the UK armed forces with a "dangerous capability gap."
He said: "Defence ministers were warned that these plans would not work unless they were properly tested and monitored. They were told that front-loading cuts to the Army and back-ending recruitment to the reserves would leave the Armed Forces under strength.
"There should be a pause in any further redundancies until we see a significant increase in reserve recruitment."