John Baron MP welcomes Select Committee Report on Army Reforms

MP highlights cynical MoD balance sheet exercise

Today the Defence Select Committee, chaired by Rt Hon James Arbuthnot MP, issued its critical report into the Government’s Army Reforms. These will see 20,000 Regular troops replaced by 30,000 Reservists. John has led a Parliamentary campaign against these cuts to the Regular Army, most notably in the Back Bench Debate he secured on 17^th October 2013 and his Amendment to the Defence Reform Bill on 20^th November 2013. Despite support from the Labour Party, his Amendment was defeated. John has argued that these reforms will not only create capability gaps, but lead to false economies.

John said,

“It has always been clear these reforms are borne of financial necessity, rather than strategic design, and would result in sizeable capability gaps. The Regulars should never have been laid off before their Reservist replacements were recruited. Problems with Reservist recruitment, together with the IT fiasco, are the thin end of the wedge.”

“The prospect of false economies also looms. Reservists are twice as expensive as Regulars upon deployment, but cheaper on a day-to-day basis. These plans are a cynical exercise to remove the daily costs of Regular troops from the MoD’s balance sheet, and transfer the higher costs of deploying Reserves on to the Treasury.”

“The fact that the taxpayer may not benefit has not escaped the National Audit Office.”