The Daily Telegraph, 16 February, Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP
The assumption, following the fall of the Berlin Wall, that democracy had won and there would be less need for a large Armed Forces and consequent military expenditure has proved to be catastrophically wrong.
The UK has met the Nato target of spending 2 per cent of its GDP on defence, but the Ukraine conflict has shown just how short of military equipment, spares, war stocks and, vitally, manpower we really are. Trying to maintain a military on the cheap inevitably leads to a reduction in the size of the Armed Forces.
Indeed, one of the key problems facing the military today is the loss of so many highly-trained personnel. The figures are now truly alarming. In the year to October 2023, 10,470 joined the regular Armed Forces, but 16,260 left. The number of Army officers choosing to leave early reached a record 792 in the last quarter. The RAF has lost more officers than at anytime in the last decade. These are typically younger officers mid-career, as opposed to those finishing their engagement, who are counted separately.
Bad as that is, it’s just going to get worse. For the Treasury is now demanding that all benefits in kind in the military, including housing, should be taxed unless that benefit has been allocated based on need. This Treasury rule would shatter the already fragile offer for officers in the Army and RAF, bringing to an end entitlements for officer Service Family Accommodation (SFA).
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