Continued Disruption to Soldiers
14 March 2005
The British Army's infantry soldiers could still face the continued disruption of moving home every two to three years. This will provide garrisons in unpopular bases such as Cyprus and Northern Ireland, in addition to planned emergency deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Critics accused the Ministry of Defence and Army commanders of misleading the troops and of undermining the rationale for the proposed reorganisation of the Army.
The old system of arms-plotting was to be phased out. Under the arms-plot, the MoD continually moved units and their families around the world at frequent intervals. This caused financial difficulties to families with house-buying and the schooling of their children. This new approach was designed to provide stability for the Service families and to help the Army to retain experienced soldiers.
The individual units of the new large regiments, including the five-battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, are to be assigned permanent quarters where they and their dependants can settle indefinitely.
A few men from each battalion are then to be offered the chance to move within the Royal Regiment of Scotland in short term postings to acquire new skills as light infantry, armoured warfare specialists or air assault troops before returning to their parent unit's location.
MoD strategists have now decided that locating battalions permanently in places such as Omagh in Northern Ireland or Dhekelia in Cyprus or having men assigned to full-time public duties or the Warrior demonstration unit at Warminster, would have a serious effect on morale and would result in experienced troops leaving the army.
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Observers say that five bases or unpopular duties have been identified as "unsuitable" for permanent duty. All but one, involves soldiers in the light infantry role.
This means that at least 10 battalions of the 39 theoretically available for operations, will continue to rotate within these locations. One battalion will be in place while another undergoes training in preparation for take over.
An MoD spokesman said: "We realise that certain tasks and locations are unsuitable for permanent duty. Cyprus is one, and public duties perhaps another.
This will be handled on a case-by-case basis. We do not regard it as a return to arms-plotting. Studies are being carried out to address the issue.
Arms-plotting is unpopular with families and it had to be tackled. It had reached the ridiculous stage of one battalion being forced to move lock, stock and barrel from one side of Salisbury Plain to the other."
The MoD paid almost £86 million (that is the equivalent of the annual cost of running four infantry battalions) last year to subsidise the paying of fees for private boarding school education of the children of military officers.
Whitehall sources say the boarding school allowance is to be targeted in the overall search for cost cuts. When the arms-plot is abolished and replaced by permanent bases in 2007, the basis for giving officers up to £17,000 a year in boarding school fees will also be abolished.
There are an estimated 8027 children currently receiving such education at these boarding schools, with annual fees averaging between £15,000 and £20,000.
Geoff Hoon, Defence Secretary is keen to slash a defence bill that has cost the taxpayer and the defence budget £350 million in the last five years.
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