Senior army officers are paid less than public affairs advisers and the British military faces a growing defense crisis due to headhunting from foreign powers, insiders have said. I.
Defense Secretary Grant Shapps has called on Jeremy Hunt to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP in tomorrow’s Budget.
But the Treasury is calculating every inch of public spending with the aim of cutting taxes, and Britain’s commitment to national defense is expected to remain unchanged, despite warnings of growing military threats in Russia and the Middle East.
Since the aftermath of the Falklands War, the number of military personnel has fallen by around 60 per cent, from more than 320,000 to current levels of around 134,000 full-time fully trained people in the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. decreased to. .
There is a sense in Whitehall, across industry and among former military leaders that the treatment of servicemen and women urgently needs to improve. As one policymaker said: I: “We have a situation where executive salaries are so low compared to jobs in private industry that even respected jobs can no longer attract talent.
“An engineer in the military makes less than in the private sector, and a consultant at a PR firm makes more than a major in the Army. Obviously the salaries will never match, but there are various incentives that match the salary. You need to think about “total value.”
According to ONS data, the average salary for a PR director is £80,000, while the British Army gives majors a starting salary of £59,799 a year.
Meanwhile, a new lieutenant earns £38,000, which is less than the average salary for a web designer, primary school teacher or construction project manager.
I Recruiters at the Ministry of Defense regularly complain about worsening military recruitment, reportedly making it difficult to stem the flow of talent within the military.
Former naval commander Admiral Lord West said: I One of the first cuts in the last round of budget cuts was the benefits for military personnel that made the job attractive in the first place, such as busing troops to local football games.
Compared to many NATO members, the UK maintains a high budget and has consistently delivered on its commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defence. However, in the 21st century, the military strength steadily decreased.
But Lord West said: “Capital budgeting continues, but the issue is day-to-day spending.
“The couple’s housing, accommodation, and buses to get to soccer games have been affected, and public satisfaction is down. We have to start spending that money again.”
The draft crisis is even threatening military contractors. I Headhunting by foreigners to work on major projects is common, and we are told that the pay is high, there is less bureaucracy, and the work is less onerous.
Leading government contractors have warned Whitehall about the poaching of key talent by Middle Eastern companies whose expertise is needed to tackle large-scale projects such as Saudi Arabia’s Neom infrastructure project. I It is understood that at least one CEO of a major UK company has warned the government of the threat of widespread poaching of engineers, project managers and analysts.
One source said: I: “At a time when defense is becoming increasingly global and competitors are looking to European talent to upskill, they raid the UK. They pay higher wages, conditions are less onerous and project Decision-making will be faster. If you’re a project manager working on a project in the Middle East, you’ll know the fruits of your labor right away, rather than by the time you retire.
I The shortage of fighter pilots has been previously reported and is believed to be a microcosm of the problems affecting the military. The Royal Air Force brought in consultants last year in a bid to end an “urgent” staffing shortage, with aircrew recruitment, training and deployment processes cited as a key issue at hand.
Speculation about reinstating wartime conscription has increased recently due to concerns over draft shortages.
Former NATO commander Sir Richard Sherif said Britain would need to “think the unthinkable” and consider a return to compulsory military service if war broke out with Russia.
He told Sky News in January:
“Traditionally and culturally, the British military has relied on long-serving, highly professional soldiers with a wealth of experience, and that’s what we all really want.”
“I think we need to get past a lot of cultural constraints and assumptions and think about things that we can’t think about openly. I think we need to go further and think carefully about conscription.”
Defense Secretary Grant Shapps dismissed talk of conscription as “nonsense”.
The military has recently come under fire for its overall service delivery to military personnel, with the conditions of military accommodation being the focus.
last year, I It has been revealed that 1,000 families were left without heat in military accommodation due to poor performance by government contractors.
Amid concerns about the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on military personnel, the Ministry of Defense agreed in the summer to raise salaries for junior staff by 9.7% and for officers by 5.8%.
A MoD spokesperson said: “Recruitment is an absolute priority and last year we gave our staff the biggest pay rise in over 20 years, with those at the lowest ranks benefiting the most. “And together with record funding for the Armed Forces, we have given out more than the pound.” $50 billion was invested in defense this year alone. ”
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