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MoD 'is top heavy with civil servants'
29 September 2009The UK defence sector is so top heavy with civil servants that it has more per member of the armed forces than 27 other western alliance countries, including the US, according to new figures which show that while Spain has nearly eight troops per civil servant and France has around five, the UK has two.
Not only are there currently 85,730 civil servants in the Ministry of Defence, but the department spent over £60m on public relations in 2008 while troops were struggling to fight the Taliban with not enough equipment and personnel. The MoD spent £55m on advertising and publicity, £2m on press officers, and £4m on marketing and external communications staff.
Tory shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said: "It is essential that our defence spending supports our military capability. We can't afford to carry the burden of a bloated administration at a time when troops on the front line face shortages. We cannot have a situation where the armed forces are at war, but Whitehall is not."
However, the MoD countered (through a press officer of course): "The civilian workforce of the MoD provides vital support for the armed forces on the front line and many of their skills are not available within the services. The 85,730 staff includes intelligence analysts, MoD police officers and scientists and engineers developing equipment to protect our forces. Many of them have deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan in key roles. We have taken steps to reduce the civilian workforce wherever we can do so without putting troops at risk and the total number of civil servants has fallen by 23,000 since 2005."
The Daily Telegraph, which obtained the figures under the Freedom of Information Act, reported that some governments were looking to cut back on the number of bureaucrats they employed in defence. The German government revealed there were 105,000 civil servants in the Bundeswehr and it was looking to cut this back to 75,000. The Bulgarian government was looking to reduce the number of civil servants to two per cent of the number of troops and the Czech Republic was planning on cutting 2,800 jobs from its defence ministry over the next three months.
HAVE YOUR SAY
29 September 2009
Sadly this does not include the many workers on contract providing catering, cleaning, maintenance etc etc. This is why Military salaries are now a small part of the total annual MOD budget shrinking towards 20%. Clealry not military jobs are the areas to focus cuts and seek effciencies.
Edmund Burdes - UK
29 September 2009
At last somebody has said so. The base of the pyramid is so broad the sharp end is blunt. !!!!!!!!!
John Walkley - Budapest, Hungary
30 September 2009
A failed organisation. Given its sizeable budget it adds little value to the taxpayers.
Chris - Essex
02 October 2009
"the total number of civil servants has fallen by 23,000 since 2005."...Fine quote from a Civil Service Press Officer. The Armed forces should have been increased by this number. Many civil service jobs could be carried out by serving or ex-service personnel who know a lot more about military matters, and at much less cost. How much has the military been reduced since the Berlin wall came down? And, HMG has more plans to reduce numbers of our Armed Forces.
Paul Cooper - Blackpool
23 November 2009
It would be very interesting to know how many civil servants were employed by the Ministry of Defence during World War Two. Does anyone know?
Tommy Atkins - UK
08 April 2010
The comments from Mr Cooper of Blackpool are nothing but laughable. The cost of Retired Officers far out way the cost to employ a civil servant. That is fact! As for knowing a lot more about military matters, well most cases there is no need to have a knowledge of military matters. How much military knowledge id needed to let a contract? Or pay a serviceman? Go away and do your home work and come back when you are less ill-informed!
Stu - Scotland
07 June 2010
To Stu in Scotland, who I quote 'How much military knowledge is needed to let a contract?' More knowledge apparently than the idiots who placed a massive order with the USA for helicopters and who forgot to include in the contract a requirement for the software codes needed to operate them.
Vic Warren - Midhurst, Sussex
19 October 2010
What a lot of people maybe not realise, is part of the reason there are so many civil servants in the MoD was due to a Labour Defence Review where military people were transfered out of office and Uk based roles to concentrate on more military roles. This allowed cheaper to employ and pension civil servants (who will be in the job longer that the 3-5 year posting) to take over these roles. Also there are a lot of civil servants who have been deployed overseas into war zones carryout specialist support roles which commercial companies will not and cannot do due to insurance purposes. Yes I am one of these Civil Servants, and have seen several rotations of service personel out of my area just when they start to become effective at their job due to training and experience gained, to have start the process over again with a new military bod.
Anon - UK