UKNDA (UK National Defence Association)

To campaign for sufficient, appropriate and fully funded Armed Forces that the United Kingdom needs to defend effectively this Country, its people, their vital interests and security at home and throughout the world.
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FOR THE UKNDA TO CAMPAIGN EFFECTIVELY FOR

SUFFICIENT, APPROPRIATE &
FULLY FUNDED ARMED FORCES

WE NEED TO DO THREE THINGS
To promote our MESSAGE
To acquire MANY MORE MEMBERS
To gather in MORE MONEY

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"SUPPORT OUR ARMED FORCES CAMPAIGN"

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STATE & NEEDS OF THE ARMY

 

British soldiers have died in combat in every year since the Second World War, with the exception of 1968. We have the most respected, experienced and battle-proven army in the World.

Yet we come 28th in the World in terms of numbers of soldiers. This is well below states such as Pakistan (7th), Iran (8th), Ukraine (12th), Indonesia (13th) Thailand (14th), Syria (15th), Taiwan (16th), and Brazil (17th). Even Mexico, Morocco, Eritrea and Poland have more soldiers than us. Germany, France and Japan also have many more soldiers – few of them are on active operations.

THE SHRINKING ARMY   1987 - 2007
 
ARMY - THE THREAT

With just under 100,000 trained personnel the British Army has neither the strength nor the resources to operate on current scales in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not only is this widely recognised by politicians and defence commentators but both the Chief of Defence and Chief of the General Staff have publicly acknowledged it. 

In the seven years since 2001 combined fatalities from fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan have reached over 285. That figure for deaths in combat is approaching 44% of that sustained by the Army during its entire 38 years of operations in Northern Ireland.

There are over 12,000 Army soldiers currently on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. That means another 12,000 are preparing to go there, a further 12,000 are recovering from recent tours and so at least 36 per cent of trained soldiers are directly involved in the twin campaigns there at any one time.

This is a huge burden on the Army.

Tour intervals, the time between returning on operations and then deploying again, is supposed to be two years. This Army Board target, to allow for leave, recovery and training, is miles out of sight for most soldiers – particularly engineers, signallers, medics and, of course, infantrymen. At one stage during a recent operation more than 50% of the Army’s signallers were deployed. They could not even be replaced one for one. Individual tour intervals are thus often measured in months not years. 

The problem is exacerbated by under-strength units who require to ‘borrow’ bayonet strength from other units, who in their turn are further depleted in numbers and individual tour interval times. Some soldiers are turned around on operations within a month or two. This massive pressure must in turn increase the chances of long-term psychological damage to our soldiers.

In 2004, 20% of the soldiers in Iraq were Territorial Army or Reservist soldiers.  Inevitably under the current pressures the Ministry of Defence has announced it plans to mobilize 1,200 reservists a year for the foreseeable future. Effectively this means that 5% of all soldiers on operations will always be civilians in uniform as mobilisation inevitably implies for deployed duty.

The United Kingdom National Defence Association (UKNDA) recognises that the medical care given from point of wounding to discharge from the Army is now good although the provision for visiting families still needs some adjustment.  Yet we remain worried about the long-term care for Army personnel once discharged, possibly with a disability pension. Soldiers really appreciate being looked after by their own kind and, those that have been wounded in the service of their country, most surely deserve this.
With the exceptions of a lack of helicopter support and mine-proof vehicles the long-running problem of top quality weapons and equipment for our soldiers on operations has largely been fixed. We appreciate that the MoD is doing all it can, within severely restrained budgets, to provide the best it can procure for our troops in the field. But the Defence Budget is under incredibly pressure to do all that is needed and inevitably has to make hard choices.

The recent Command Paper issued by the MoD to improve conditions for our troops and their families should help but it remains largely aspirational as it is not supported by apparent additional funding.

The Army has never had so little to do so much. There is a huge mismatch between what the Army is asked to do and what it can do properly. Inevitably operational effectiveness and morale suffers. The recent report that 47% of those in the Army were thinking of quitting is hugely worrying. 

The UKNDA believes that the Army’s means must match its needs far better.  Operational commitments seem unlikely to be lessened, in the short term at least, so we campaign for additional budget to ensure our Army gets what support it really needs when it fights abroad for us.