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Morale in the UK military is suffering as ministers increasingly turn to the military to help fill civilian roles, including disruptions caused by public sector strikes, according to official studies and serving staff.
This winter alone, more than 1,200 soldiers have been asked to cancel their holiday plans to cover for striking ambulance drivers and Border Force staff. Disillusionment in the military was demonstrated by a change in tone in recent weeks by Britain’s chief of the armed forces.
A week ago, when asked how the military viewed a wave of public sector strikes, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin told the Royal United Services Institute think-tank: “I don’t want to go there. I do not want the UK Armed Forces commenting on unions and industrial action and strikes.
But a few days later Radakin was warning that the military “doesn’t have spare capacity” and added that it would be “a bit risky” to consider the armed forces as the “ultimate backstop” for industrial disputes.
Robert Clarke, director of defense studies at the Civitas think-tank, said the intervention was a first by Britain’s most senior military officer.
“Radakin’s indirect criticism of government policy is completely unprecedented. I don’t remember any Chief of Defense Staff ever saying that,” said Clarke, who served in the UK military for 15 years.
“It shows how unpopular the cover for the strike has become. The regimental mood is such that Radakin felt the need to communicate it. It is huge,” he added.
Official studies support the military feeling “overused, underappreciated and underpaid,” in Clark’s words. Last year, the Defense Ministry was asked to provide so-called “military assistance to civil authorities” (Maka) 264 times involving 7,790 personnel. In contrast, in the four years of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was an average of 118 cases per year.
“Resentment is rarely openly expressed by serving soldiers. But it makes soldiers unhappy because it comes at the cost of leave, quality time and being pulled out of courses or exercises,” commented a serving officer about the increased use of Makas.
“The loss may not be immediately apparent but it can accelerate departures . . . and the more it happens, the more likely employees will take the skills we’ve invested elsewhere.”
In July, the Armed Forces Pay Review Body reached a similar conclusion, when it pointed out that military personnel increasingly felt they were being asked to help the government with “one incident after another”.[and] was constantly told to do more with less”.
This, he pointed out, had an impact on morale and motivation – a conclusion supported by the House of Commons Defense Select Committee in July.
Armed forces personnel said they are proud to help during a genuine national emergency such as a natural disaster or the Covid-19 pandemic. But that didn’t extend to helping cover political buildup situations like this winter’s strike action.
Making matters worse is that many military personnel are widely reported to be living in substandard housing, a feature of military life that Radakin and the Ministry of Defense hold dear. described as unacceptable.
“The accommodation is shocking,” said a senior non-commissioned officer. “And we are now moving to cover the current strike over Christmas, not only pulling us away from our loved ones but knowing they are in substandard accommodation with no idea when it will be repaired.”
Officials insist that covering up the strike did not jeopardize the military’s ability to perform its core defense functions. “We are miles away [this having] impact on operational effectiveness,” Radakin told the Sunday Telegraph.
But soldiers called in to cover striking ambulance drivers and Border Force officers have questioned the value of their role. The 600 soldiers trained to drive ambulances have not been given “blue light” training, which allows them to respond to emergencies by driving at speed and running red traffic lights.
“Just did some training and it’s crazy,” one soldier wrote in a text message seen by the FT. “Can’t drive on blue lights . . . and can’t do any mad stuff so not sure what we’re really doing here 😂”
Some of the 600 staff assigned to check passports at the airport, which was hit by a strike on Christmas, are also said to have been given only five days of training. “A former colleague described the training to me as borderline organized chaos,” Clark said.
The Ministry of Defense said it cared “deeply” about service personnel and included “the biggest pay rise in 20 years, freezing daily food costs, providing generous housing subsidies and saving up to £3,000 per child by extending wraparound childcare”. is.”
It added that Makas was an established process, and the Prime Minister, Chief of Defense Staff and Defense Ministers expressed their gratitude to the armed forces personnel for their support.
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