UK armed forces to cut 4,200 jobs

PanARMENIAN.Net - UK defense secretary has justified the decision to axe a further 4,200 jobs from the armed forces by insisting he had "no choice" because of the appalling state of military finances.

As the Ministry of Defense confirmed details of the second tranche of a painful redundancy program, Philip Hammond also claimed the new cuts would not affect operations in Afghanistan.

In a statement, the MoD revealed it was looking to shed 2,900 posts from the army, around 1,000 from the RAF and 300 from the Royal Navy.

The total is higher than the first round of the process last year, and there are expected to be more compulsory redundancy notices this time, according to The Guardian.

The MoD announced it was looking to shed approximately 400 Gurkhas – one in eight of the brigade. Approximately 500 infantry privates with more than six years service will also be axed. The senior ranks of the army have not been spared. Eight brigadiers and 60 lieutenant colonels are expected to go.

The Royal Navy will lose five Commodores and 17 Captains. Nineteen Royal Marine officers will be shed, but no one from the ranks.

The RAF will lose up to 15 air commodores and 30 group captains. The MoD believes that by slowing recruiting, and not replacing those who leave, the navy and the RAF will be able to achieve the cuts they need without a "tranche 3" of redundancies. The army needs to shed almost 20,000 jobs over the next eight years and will continue to make cuts for years to come, the report says.