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Forces' Olympics recovery 'will take two years'
14 August 2012It will take the UK's armed forces around two years to fully recover from the extra strain of providing over 18,000 personnel to secure the London Olympic Games, a senior military commander has said.
The chief planner for the military's role in the Olympics, Wing Commander Peter Daulby, told The Guardian that while the games had 'enhanced' the public's perception of the armed forces, the deployment of some 18,200 personnel was around 6,000 more than the military could comfortably field.
"We were originally planning to provide niche capabilities," said Daulby. "When the requirement for venue security was doubled, that was a bit of a game changer. We had to generate 18,000 people. That does not mean that there are 18,000 spare people. It means that the government has prioritised.
"It will take two years to recover from this, to get back to normal, to get everything back into kilter. You can't expect them to go back to normal routine very easily."
Daulby added that any commitment above 18,000 would mean the MoD had to "shut down elements of defence".
"We put a bucket of men up and that was taken. We put another bucket of men up and that was taken. We have proved we can do it … most people think they have done something really special here. I think there is a great sense that the UK has nailed this."
"…We did not think that it would be healthy for the Olympic Games to be too militarised. Our fears were not well founded. It has been an enhancing experience."
Too many cuts to the military could leave the country unprepared for a similar event or a "national strategic shock", Daulby warned.
"It just shows you the dangers of pulling the military down," he said. "I am sure that there are some people who think that if we are a smaller military power we will be less likely to get involved in international operations.
"If we shrink the military, do we really understand what we are losing? Look at the speed with which we pushed up the throttle. It proves the military offers the country a huge amount of resilience."
HAVE YOUR SAY
14 August 2012
This is why it is crazy to cut the Army below 100,000.
John Hartley - Woking/Surrey/UK
14 August 2012
But only halfwits thought any different. Politicians!
Dave - Wellington New Zealand
15 August 2012
I think this is hog wash, 2 years to recover what a load of garbage! Our service personnel did an outstanding job at the Olympics (as opposed to G4S) but honestly to say you can't expect them to go back to normal routine after 14 days of doing something different is just nuts!
Dismay - UK
15 August 2012
I do not remember headlines such as this after the Falklands....
Indeed ships were brought out of mothballs in weeks....
I am not sure this sort of headline does any good to anyone
Degradable - UK
15 August 2012
Never mind, at least G4S will cover any costs involved in covering the lost capability - won't they? Remamber, they can afford it: G4S retains all the £284M that it was paid to supply 10,400 staff, even though it has only supplied in the region of 5,900....
...The final figures will come out in time, but G4S were originally being paid £27,307 for each person for the two (maybe three with the run-up) week period. That was if they *did* supply the full quota. As it stands, they've been paid £48,135 for each individual.
Surely HMT and HMG will not let them off what they've incurred from public coffers?
AlMiles - Bristol, UK
15 August 2012
'Daulby added that any commitment above 18,000 would mean the MoD had to "shut down elements of defence".'
Not much point in trying to maintain the pretence that we're still a world power, then. I doubt that China or Russia, or any other significant player you might care to name, is going to be seriously rattled by a country with armed forces that keel over if they're obliged to field more than 18,000 people.
Stan - York
17 August 2012
Dismay....so you thinks it's hogwash...it shows how little you know about the armed forces! The armed forces aren't sitting around awaiting to be deployed! They work to a timetable which tells them what they will be doing during coming months/years...when they will be on exercise, deployement, taking their holidays etc etc. A lot of those providing last minute support to the Olympics had just come back from either deployment and were about to take leave before their next deployement or training exercise.Those who were just about to go on leave will still have to be given leave which will upset the 'timetable'!
John B - Uxbridge, UK