Navy morale is ‘brittle’, admits service top brass

MORALE in parts of the Navy is ‘brittle’ as a result of the cost-cutting drive to slash jobs military top brass have admitted.

Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, the First Sea Lord, told MPs that cutbacks to the senior service inevitably had an impact on personnel.

But he added they understood the economic background to the reductions and that overall morale was “holding up”.

His comments come as the deadline for naval personnel to apply for voluntary redundancy approaches on May 16.

A total of 1,600 Royal Navy personnel will lose their jobs in the first round of redundancies, around 1,200 of which will be among junior ratings. Sailors will learn their fate in September, as part of the first step to slashing 5,000 jobs from the senior service over the next four years.

Admiral Stanhope was quizzed over the impact of redundancies in the Navy, by members of the Defence Select Committee as part of its inquiry into the Strategic Defence and Security Review, which contained a series of deep cuts in the armed forces.

He told MPs: “I wouldn’t wish to pretend people enjoy watching their service reduced in size. That obviously affects our people.” But he added that personnel had grasped the financial backdrop to the cuts. “They understand the cause,” he said.

Admiral Stanhope added: “Morale in certain areas of the Navy is more brittle than others, but overall the morale component is holding up.”

In all, the MoD has said the number of military personnel across all three services will be cut by 17,000 by April 2015, with around 11,000 coming through redundancies. The move to slash the Navy by around 5,000 over the period will leave a standing force of around 30,000.

In the first of four waves of redundancies the service is set to cut 121 officers up to the rank of captain from the warfare, engineering, medical and logistics branches, along with 1,211 junior ratings and 274 senior ratings from various branches. Fifteen of the Fleet Air Arm's 59 fixed-wing pilots will also go.

The reductions reflect the cutbacks in military hardware including the four-Devonport-based Type 22 frigates. The MoD say no-one preparing for combat operations, deployed on operations or on post-operational tour leave on the day redundancy notices are issued will be made redundant unless they have volunteered.

However, redundancy notices for the first wave of job losses is not due until September 30, leaving the way open for some of those engaged until recently on operations in Libya or Afghanistan being sacked. No Royal Marines of the rank of Major or below - with the exception of air crew – face redundancy say defence officials.