Thread: Savings Measures - the Official Line

Dear All -

Text of the Army Briefing Note concerning in-year savings measures. It's UNCLASS, and therefore reproduced in full. All no doubt (C) HM Forces or MOD or something. This is not intended in any way to subvert the CoC, but reinforce its efforts to inform all those affected:



Serial No: 57-09 Source: CinC

Date: 13 Oct 09 Released by: PR(A)

IN-YEAR SAVINGS MEASURES

ISSUE
1. The Ministry of Defence has taken a number of savings measures in order to remain within budget in this financial year (Apr 09 to Apr 10). The Army is required to take its share and The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) has proposed savings measures totalling £54 million. The Secretary of State for Defence has accepted those proposals which come into effect immediately.

2. These measures affect all of the Army, particularly Regional Forces, and include savings against Regular Army recruitment, the Territorial Army, the Army Cadet Force and the Army sections of the Combined Cadet Force, the University Officer Training Corps and single living accommodation, as well as a number of other areas within the Army.

TARGET AUDIENCE
3. All Army personnel and civilian staff in the Land Forces TLB.

KEY POINTS
Territorial Army (TA): In addition to the £23 million reduction previously made in the in-year budget for TA activity, savings of £20 million have been taken. As a result, activities not directly in support of operations will stop or be severely curtailed. This will mean that TA soldiers who have not been warned to go on operations will suspend all training until Apr 10. However, Phase 1 training will continue and those who have not already qualified for their Annual Bounty will have the opportunity to do so.

• University Officer Training Corps (UOTC): Savings of £3 million will mean that all UOTC Cadet pay will cease until Apr 10. Military Leadership & Development Programme Training will be re-classified as C1 (unpaid), although undergraduates and instructors will continue to be reimbursed for travel and subsistence. Some activities will be cancelled. TA staff within UOTCs will continue to be paid for time spent on essential training preparation and administration, while training will be delivered by Permanent Staff Instructors.

• Army Cadet Force (ACF) and Combined Cadet Force (CCF): Savings of £4 million will result in most Paid Training Day (PTD) payments to adult instructors ceasing. Expansion of the cadet experience to state schools, such as that trialled in the London Challenge initiative, will be postponed. Some of the more recently formed State School CCFs may require alternative government funding to continue. Only essential adult training at the Cadet Training Centre and at Brigade level will be funded, aimed at qualifying adults to conduct low level training safely. National signals training, shooting and sporting competitions, and music concentrations will only happen if adults volunteer to run them. The national Cadet 150 programme for 2010 will not be significantly affected but some local events will be curtailed. ACF evening detachment training, which is unpaid, will be encouraged.

• Recruiting: Savings of £2 million will be achieved by reducing the inflow of Regular Army recruits into Phase 1 training by 500 with effect from 1 Jan 10. At this stage, there is no intention to take any recruit places from Pinch Point trades, or poorly-recruited Infantry regiments.

• Capital Works: £14 million savings will delay some planned upgrade work on single soldiers’ living accommodation. Of the 790 planned upgrades for 2009, 436 will be delayed and 149 will not be completed this year.

• Other Measures: Other savings which will impact on Army personnel include:

Description of Measure Amount
Reduced G6 (Information Systems) funding £0.5m
Reduced White Fleet periodic hire usage £0.5m
Cessation of issue of Future Army Dress No.2 and Barrack Dress until Apr 10 £2.5m
Cessation of all uncommitted Official Entertainment for the remainder of this FY £0.4m
Cessation of all remaining overtime payments for civilian staff £2.5m
Reduction in the Schools Budgets of 4% £0.8m

BACKGROUND
4. Financially, these are difficult times and the MOD, like all Government departments, is required to produce major cost savings. In July this year, the Army took savings measures totalling £43 million to constrain expenditure. These measures had an impact across a wide range of activities. The Defence Board considered the financial position again in September and concluded that further action was necessary to ensure that scarce resources are directed to current operations. On this basis, CGS undertook to make further in-year savings of £54 million.

5. Inevitably, this has led to decisions on further savings in TA activity, Cadet Paid Training Days, reduced UOTC intake and activity, and further cuts on overtime levels and the capital works budget. The planned recruit intake into the Army Recruiting and Training Division is also to be reduced by 500 to help reduce the specific pressure on the Army manpower budget.

6. Our priority is to support current operations and these measures are necessary to focus remaining resources on the main effort. These measures will not affect current operations.

(POCs removed - get those from ArmyNet if you need them, or through your own CoC)

Thank you !!

Thanks for that. Where the CoC fails, ARRSE succeeds.

Much appreciated!

Originally Posted by OldSnowy

Territorial Army (TA): In addition to the £23 million reduction previously made in the in-year budget for TA activity, savings of £20 million have been taken. As a result, activities not directly in support of operations will stop or be severely curtailed. This will mean that TA soldiers who have not been warned to go on operations will suspend all training until Apr 10. However, Phase 1 training will continue and those who have not already qualified for their Annual Bounty will have the opportunity to do so.

So MATTS W/Ends etc will be C1?

Much appreciated OldSnowy - rather puts paid to the pish we were fed last night from CoC.

Am waiting to see how this pans out... there are clearly some contradictions in the document...

Originally Posted by TopBadger

Am waiting to see how this pans out... there are clearly some contradictions in the document...

Really? Such as?

Old Snowy - good effort mate. Clears everything up nicely.

Cheers Old Snowy - the official line!

Originally Posted by StabTiffy2B

Originally Posted by TopBadger

Am waiting to see how this pans out... there are clearly some contradictions in the document...

Really? Such as?

Well, such as:

TA soldiers who have not been warned to go on operations will suspend all training until Apr 10

But...

However, Phase 1 training will continue and those who have not already qualified for their Annual Bounty will have the opportunity to do so.

You can't do either of those things without manpower... Some of our CBRN/SAA/BFAT instructors are already on Ops, those who aren't are not going on Ops... so who's going to do the tests?

The OTC and ACF have been hit really hard. Some of us look down on the OTC for it's lack of professionalism at times, but still...

Thanks OldSnowy, at least we all know the official state of play now.

Originally Posted by TopBadger

Originally Posted by StabTiffy2B

Originally Posted by TopBadger

Am waiting to see how this pans out... there are clearly some contradictions in the document...

Really? Such as?

Well, such as:

TA soldiers who have not been warned to go on operations will suspend all training until Apr 10

But...

However, Phase 1 training will continue and those who have not already qualified for their Annual Bounty will have the opportunity to do so.

You can't do either of those things without manpower... Some of our CBRN/SAA/BFAT instructors are already on Ops, those who aren't are not going on Ops... so who's going to do the tests?

MTD's for recruitment will have to include mTDs for teh training Staff. It's only for Ph1 though so not much scope for getting many extra staff onto it and working them up too.

Genuine question: does anyone know what cuts / savings the Navy and RAF will be required to make?

Some of the more recently formed State School CCFs may require alternative government funding to continue.

So the additional school cadet forces announced last year will get quietly kicked into the long grass. (Anyone know what the take-up has been since April 2008 ?)

FP

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7333262.stm