Army set to cut thousands of personnel after cuts

More than a thousand armed forces personnel were informed yesterday that they must quit the services as part of efforts to control defence spending.

• Around three in ten of the 3,800 confirmed redundancies today are compulsory - with the bulk coming from the Army

• In total, 170 and 330 personnel from those two services are receiving notices - 29% of them on a compulsory basis

Around 30 per cent of the 3,800 confirmed redundancies are compulsory – with the bulk coming from the army, which is facing the biggest overall cuts in manpower.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said fewer than anticipated were being axed from the Royal Navy and the RAF due to other measures such as slowed recruitment.

In total, 170 and 330 personnel from those two services are receiving notices – 29 per cent of them on a compulsory basis, in what should be the final reductions. The Ministry of Defence said there was still “some way to go to bring the size of the army down to 82,000” and decisions on how to achieve those cuts “are yet to be taken”.

A spokesman said the ministry had done “everything we can to avoid non-applicant redundancies”. Volunteers will leave by 11 December, with compulsory redundancies taking effect in a year’s time.

Mr Hammond said: “I regret that it has been necessary. We inherited a multi-billion-pound black hole in the defence budget which had meant the previous government had not been able to properly equip our troops.”