No jumps for Paras as MoD cuts £1bn

[UtrinqueParatus]

No jumps for Paras as MoD cuts £1bn

By Sean Rayment and Rob Watts, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 1:28am GMT 17/12/2006

Parachute training in the Army is set to be halted for four years as part of a £1 billion cost-cutting programme by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Member of the Parachute Regiment
Members of the Parachute Regiment will not receive parachute training

The proposals mean that Britain will be without a parachute-trained force for the first time since the Second World War when the Parachute Regiment was created on the orders of Winston Churchill.

Documents leaked to The Sunday Telegraph reveal that no new recruits or even serving members of the Parachute Regiment or airborne forces will be trained in military parachuting from next year until 2011. It will then take a year to get the Army's 2,500 paratroopers up to scratch.

The cost-cutting programme is being launched after defence chiefs warned that spiralling costs of complex equipment and the demands of military operations would create a financial "black hole" in the MoD of £868 million by the end of the next year.

The severity of the crisis prompted one of the Government's most senior civil servants to describe the situation as "an extremely difficult position with no clear way forward".
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The crisis has placed the MoD on a collision course with Gordon Brown and the Treasury, and has raised fears that multi-billion pound projects could be postponed or even cancelled.

The planned cuts to be imposed on 16 Air Assault Brigade, which the MoD admits would be a public-relations disaster, can be

Continued on Page 2revealed just days after 77 members of the unit received awards, including a Victoria Cross and a George Cross, for their actions in Afghanistan.

The document states that if the cuts were imposed "the Parachute Regiment and other airborne units would be undermined with implications for morale, recruiting and retention. It would take until March 31, 2012, to retrain all aircrews, dispatchers, planers and parachute-trained units".

It adds: "This measure would also have implications for special forces' recruiting and selection." The Parachute Regiment provides more than half of the special forces' intake.

Senior officers were aghast last night at the latest round of cuts. One said: "It is extraordinary that at a time when the Armed Forces are fighting two wars and are stretched to the very limit, defence spending is being pared back in this way."

The crisis has emerged two months after Tony Blair promised commanders in Afghanistan that they would get whatever they needed to beat the Taliban.

The scale of the crisis within the MoD is highlighted by another leaked document in which Ian Andrews, the 2nd permanent undersecretary of state, warns that the military is having to take "painful measures" to stay within budget. "Equipment, support, fuel and utilities costs are causing real pressures across the departments. We remain in an extremely difficult position with no clear way forward."

In an effort to stay within budget, he proposes measures including a "moratorium on recruitment" of civilian manpower and that all "existing contracts for agency or casual staff be terminated".

Instead of flying to meetings around the world, senior officers should "encourage staff to consider video conferencing, e-mail or the telephone".


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... aras17.xml



I don't know what to say except FUBAR

[Gravityguy]

There is a discussion on the implications of this on the military forums website. Just click the link below

Full Debate, Click Here

It's actually made me pretty angry, i cant believe they would even consider it!! They would be the laughing stock of the british forces, a parachute regiment that cant parachute!!

[UtrinqueParatus]

Does this mean that the red freds would return to green army duties?

[CODE]

I personally think it's agreat idea, in fact, i actually think we should have an air force without any planes' and a navy without any ships, aswell as infantry without weaponary What a stupid Idea

[mfat_man]

Does this mean that the red freds would return to green army duties?

That would make them all hats

Where's the smiley for "Laugh my &ss off!".

Seriously this can not be true, what the hell is happening to our forces.....

[Paratrooper01]

Does this mean that the red freds would return to green army duties?

That would make them all hats

Why?

They are all parachute regiment soldiers....hardly hats

[mfat_man]

Does this mean that the red freds would return to green army duties?

That would make them all hats

Why?

They are all parachute regiment soldiers....hardly hats

Paratrooper01

Just teasing you mate, no offence

I guess the whole point of this is that Blair and co are putting more and more emphasis on the Army and on the other hand trying to pull the plug on resources

Had a few wets with an ex Army chef last night He says he worked for Gen Mike Jackson for a while and said he was a great bloke but Blair was a bit scared by him LOL....At least Jackson has laid out his stall now and good for him too.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6215296.stm

[Artist]

I imagine this is going to cause a fair bit of Them and Us within the Parachute Regiment. Half the unit will be winged whilst the other half will be wingless.

Why bother to join the Paras if you can't do what they were formed to do? I dare say the recruitment will fall to an all time low because of this stupid idea. This useless Government just don't seem to realise or care just how much this daft idea is going to affect the morale of the best Regiment within the Army. I've worked with the Paras in all sorts of places and they are switched on kiddies as far as I'm concerned.

Lets just hope they don't decide to do the same with the Royal Marines as in bin the Commando tests.

Artist

[UtrinqueParatus]

I suppose P-Coy will be aptly nicknamed Penguin Company if its passed

[Gravityguy]

Well i for one have now decided not to join the paras. I know it isn't yet certain whether it will happen or not but just the fact that they are even considering it shows they how little regard they have for the core values of the regiment.

I think i'm going back to my original choice of the bootnecks now, although i will have to wait until my driving ban is spent

[mfat_man]

Well i for one have now decided not to join the paras. I know it isn't yet certain whether it will happen or not but just the fact that they are even considering it shows they how little regard they have for the core values of the regiment.

I think i'm going back to my original choice of the bootnecks now, although i will have to wait until my driving ban is spent

GG

Are you going to let a newspaper story put you off!!

You know what you can use newspapers for the next day, like wrapping chips in, or even better using it to wipe your bottom with

I know what you mean about Regimental pride and this is something that Gen Jackson alluded to his recent TV apperance and media statement.

Don't make a rash decision you might regret later; keep your options open, OK?

[_chris]

Well i for one have now decided not to join the paras. I know it isn't yet certain whether it will happen or not but just the fact that they are even considering it shows they how little regard they have for the core values of the regiment.

I think i'm going back to my original choice of the bootnecks now, although i will have to wait until my driving ban is spent

I agree with mfat_man, don't let the newspaper article put you off doing what you want to do, if you've thought through all your options then changed your mind then fair play, but it would be silly to change your mind based on a newspaper.

Even if the article is true the fact that they have so little regard for the paras shouldn't make you think about not joining the paras. This government has shown repeatedly that they hold no respect for any of the armed forces and the work they do, this goes for Marines, Paras, Navy the lot.

[Paratrooper01]

Well i for one have now decided not to join the paras. I know it isn't yet certain whether it will happen or not but just the fact that they are even considering it shows they how little regard they have for the core values of the regiment.

I think i'm going back to my original choice of the bootnecks now, although i will have to wait until my driving ban is spent

I dont think this is a good idea...unless you like bullsh*t!

I would have thought you wanted to go for the Red Devils with all your skydiving experience?

[Gravityguy]

I wouldn't say it's a rash decision as the royals always were my first choice. Unfortunately i lost my driving licence (deservedly) for drink driving. Due to the fact that you can't join the royals with unspent convictions it has invalidated my application for the next 5 years (from july 05). at the time, 5 years put me over the maximum age allowed.

In August this year i was talking to my mate, sky ninja steve as he calls himself on here, who told me that he was joining the paras. At which point i thought what a great idea, i'd still be able to be the best and i'd get to jump out of planes. The AFCO even told me that the infantry don't mind about drink driving convictions.

Two things have occured though in the past few weeks to help change my mind.

1) The MoD could be cutting parachute training, even if they don't, just the fact that they are considering it is not a good sign of things to come (in my opinion at least anyway)

2) The Royals have increased their maximum age which will mean i am still eligible to join once my conviction is spent.

In the mean time though i think i'm going to join my local TA infantry unit so i can at least feel part of something in the very near future.

[Gravityguy]

I would have thought you wanted to go for the Red Devils with all your skydiving experience?

I would love to join the red devils, but i'm pretty sure you'd have to have your wings to be able to join. Also, you can only be a red devil for 2 years which is small fry in the grande scheme of things if i'm in for the long haul.

I think i'm going back to my original choice of the bootnecks now, although i will have to wait until my driving ban is spent


I dont think this is a good idea...unless you like bullsh*t!

I thought that might get a response!!