John Baron MP questions MoD’s plan to expand the TA in Parliamentary debate

MP suggests false economy, capability and boots on ground deficit

Today in Parliament, John Baron MP participated in a debate on the role of reservists in the Armed Forces. In order to save money, the MoD is planning to cut 20,000 Regular soldiers as part of its ‘Army 2020’ programme. At the same time, the Government plans to build up a force of 30,000 Reservists over the next few years to plug the gap left by the loss of these Regular soldiers.

In the debate, John said,

“Could these cuts be a false economy? The Government has admitted that it costs more to train and deploy Reservists. Add in force-generation factors, and the additional costs in matching the TA’s soldier’s civilian salary, and there is a big question mark over how much this is all going to cost.”

“I also have concerns about whether 30,000 Reservists could plug the capability gap. Today there is a much broader range of roles for them to fulfil – yet they are still expected to achieve a higher skill-base with no more than 35-40 days of training a year. We live in a world where challenging asymmetrical warfare will become the norm, yet businesses may be reluctant to let key employees go on extended operations.”

“I doubt whether 30,000 Reservists will be enough to plug this gap. The latest MoD figures show that, of the TA infantry establishment strength of 6,700, only 2,800 are actually eligible for mobilisation. This is a 40% effective rate. To plug the gap left by 20,000 Regulars, the MoD’s own figures suggest a minimum of 50,000 Reservists is needed.”

“Meanwhile, excellent Regular infantry battalions are being lost – 2^nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (2RRF) being an example. By the MoD’s own admission, it was not one of the original five battalions to be disbanded. But political interference saved a poorly-recruited battalion north of the border, and 2RRF was chosen to take its place.”

“This is a high-risk policy. Surely it would be wiser to see if the Reservist plan works first, before losing 20,000 Regular troops? It is also high-risk because we are reducing the Armed Forces at a time when many countries not necessarily friendly to the West are increasing their defence expenditure. No-one can tell where the next threat will come from, and we should always remember that the first duty of Government is the defence of the realm.”