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Defence chief warns of 'hollow' armed forces after cuts
Britain is in danger of being left with hollowed out armed forces, with "exquisite" equipment but without the soldiers, sailors and airmen needed to man it, the country's most senior military officer has warned.
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Navy's most senior general: There can be no more cuts
The Royal Navy is "perilously close to its critical mass in manpower terms," its most senior general, Sir Nicholas Houghton, said at the unveiling of a new bust of Winston Churchill.
The head of Britain's armed forces warned the Government tonight that the UK is at risk of having the right equipment, but with not enough people to work it.
ITV's Deputy Political Editor Chris Ship reports on the General's warning shot:
Cuts to defence personnel in numbers
The country's top defence chief, Sir Nick Houghton, has warned of the impacts of investing in equipment at the expense of manpower.
The 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review called for the following cuts to personnel by 2015:
- Army - Cut by 7,000 to 95,000
- Royal Navy - Cut by 5,000 to 30,000
- Royal Air Force - Cut by 5,000 to 33,000
- Ministry of Defence civilian staff - Cut by 25,000
In 2011, further reductions were identified to reduce the regular Army to 82,000 by 2020, and increase the number of reservists from 19,000 to 30,000.
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Royal Navy under 'significant manpower pressure'
The First Sea Lord, Admiral Zambellas, has acknowledged that the Royal Navy is "under significant manpower pressure". He said in a statement:
Key quotations from Chief of Defence Staff's speech
Here are some of the key quotations from Sir Nick Houghton's speech to the Royal United Services Institute military think tank this evening:
On manpower
On 'creeping aversion' to deployment
On the defence industry
Defence chief warns of creating a 'hollow force'
Sir Nick Houghton was very critical of what he saw as politicians' obsession for prioritising equipment over manpower.
He referred to creating a 'hollow force' - an American term which refers to having the equipment, but not the personnel ready and able and trained to use it.
He said that the Navy was "perilously close" to critical mass when it comes to this term.
Defence chief: Cuts to spending simply cannot go on
Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Nick Houghton has warned politicians that cuts in defence spending simply cannot go on.
In a lecture given in the last few minutes, he said he has signed up to cuts for now in the interests of the wider economy, but sooner or later there will have to be real terms increases in defence spending.