MOD civilian staff rather than Army may be cut
Government sources hint at nature of defence review after PM’S spokesman did not rule out fewer soldiers
DOWNING Street has publicly refused to rule out cutting troop numbers as part of the defence and security review, despite the Defence Secretary insisting the Government would not “slash the size of the Armed Forces”.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman yesterday declined to say whether a cut in troops was being considered, stating only that ministers remained committed to increasing defence spending in line with the Conservative manifesto.
The manifesto does not commit to maintaining current Army manpower, although Boris Johnson has previously stated that the Government will “be maintaining the size of our Armed Forces”.
Asked about reports over the weekend that defence chiefs had drawn up plans to reduce the Army by up to a quarter, the spokesman added: “It’s just wrong to say that we plan to cut defence.
“We will fulfil our manifesto commitments, including to increase the budget above inflation.”
Pressed again, he said the review, due in the autumn, would be “underpinned by the commitments the Government has already made to continue to exceed the Nato target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence”.
Government sources later said that Downing Street was opposed to operating a smaller Army and was instead considering reducing the number of civilian staff in the Ministry of Defence.
The Daily Telegraph also understands that Dominic Cummings, Mr Johnson’s most senior adviser, offered reassurances yesterday that the review would be focused on “rebalancing” rather than an “overall reduction in numbers”.
One insider added that rather than cuts, the review was more likely to lead to some military personnel being reassigned or retrained to reflect the changing nature and demands on the Armed Forces, including in cyber warfare and artificial intelligence.
However, when asked if he could “categorically” guarantee that troop numbers would not be cut, Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, appeared to go much further publicly than No10 by insisting there was “no plan to slash the size of the Armed Forces”.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Wallace said that “only a fool starts the debate on numbers rather than threat”, adding that the review was not “driven by financial pressures”.
“What is the case is our forces should always, always be defined by both the threat we face as a nation, the capabilities we have and Britain’s global ambition and that is why in the integrated review we will deal with those processes rather than start the debate about numbers,” he continued.
Commenting on a meeting held with defence chiefs last week, he added: “It
‘It’s just wrong to say that we plan to cut defence. We will fulfil our manifesto commitments’
was not a financial discussion, contrary to what was reported, it wasn’t a numbers discussion either, it was a discussion about how we meet the threat and how we deliver a future Armed Forces to match that.”
Mr Wallace also pointed out that both recruitment and retention within the Armed Forces had increased, telling MPS: “That is the direction of travel. It’s very clear that our Armed Forces are growing, as is our commitment.”
Announced by Mr Johnson in February, the Integrated Review will assess “Britain’s place in the world”, including its role in aid, development and counter-terrorism, in the biggest shake-up of its kind since the Cold War.
It will also look at how the UK can “better use technology and data to adjust to the changing nature of threats we face, from countering hostile state activity to strengthening our Armed Forces”.