New 'pinch-points' threatening army operations
Frontline operations in Afghanistan and Iraq endangered by lack of service personnel in key areas, MPs warn
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Wednesday, 30, Jul 2008 09:10
Frontline operations in Afghanistan and Iraq are under threat from a lack of service personnel in key areas, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been warned.
The "pinch-point trades" include submariners, medical staff, aircrew, mechanics and engineers.
According to an influential committee of MPs all the areas are significantly undermanned, while the number of pinch-points in the armed forces has risen since 2004.
The House of Commons defence committee said there were 30 pinch-point trades in the army, 31 in the RAF and 25 in the navy.
The warning is part of a report criticising the MoD for not responding with "flexibility and imagination" to recruitment problems at a time when the armed forces are operating at "unprecedented levels".
Committee members point out it costs less to retain service personnel than to recruit them and call on the MoD to make addressing worsening retention their top priority.
"Our armed forces are being worked extremely hard to support current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and it is vital that the pressures on our service personnel and their families is minimised," commented committee chairman James Arbuthnot.
"However, recruitment and retention targets are being consistently missed resulting in increased pressure on those who remain. The MoD must take action to address this vicious circle before it becomes irreversible.
"Retaining highly skilled and experienced service personnel must be a key priority and the MoD needs to push forward as quickly as possible with its plans to improve service accommodation - a key reason why many service personnel decide to leave.
"Taking action to retain those already in the armed forces will also make the armed forces a more attractive employer. The MoD must respond with sufficient flexibility and imagination if it is to recruit the number of new service personnel required to enable our armed forces to continue to operate effectively."
Defence minister Derek Twigg accepted that dual theatre operations in Iraq and Afghanistan were presenting a major challenge to the armed forces but insisted morale was high.
"Commanders assure me that operational effectiveness has not been compromised and units deploy fully manned for the tasks they will be expected to undertake. Over the last year we have reduced our commitments considerably in Iraq, the Balkans and Northern Ireland," Mr Twigg explained.
"The recent deployment to Kosovo shows that we retain the capability to respond to emerging situations but also that we will bring our people back as soon as they are no longer required.
"I accept that there is more to do. But the issues raised by the committee are not new to us and are being addressed. The MoD and armed forces will continue to do our utmost to ensure that the hardworking, brave service personnel, and their families, have the support they deserve and need to do the dangerous and demanding things we ask of them."