Half of British Forces Ready to Quit
Source: Alalam.ir, 10-07-2008
LONDON--A survey by British Defense Ministry suggests that almost half of UK military personnel are ready to quit the forces.
Some 47% of Army and Royal Navy respondents and 44% of those in the RAF said they regularly felt like quitting.
Those surveyed mentioned issues such as the frequency of tours, levels of pay and the quality of equipment and housing as the reasons behind their concerns.
The Ministry of Defense said the survey, involving 9,000 servicemen and women, revealed "areas of concern" but that conditions were being improved.
The first survey to assess attitudes across the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Marines and the RAF revealed high levels of concern over morale, equipment and pay.
The Regular Army is already short of some 5,000 soldiers, amid worries that experienced young officers and senior NCOs are leaving at an increasing rate.
A sense of overstretch was reflected in all three services, with 36% saying they were not happy with the level of separation from family and friends.
Asked whether the frequency of tours had an impact on whether to leave or not, 38% of the Army said it had increased their intention to leave, while 59% overall said operation commitments and stretch made them more likely to leave.
The survey frequently showed wide differences between the levels of satisfaction expressed by officers in all services compared with other ranks.
For example, 73% of Army officers said they had job satisfaction, compared with 57% of soldiers; 71% of Royal Marine officers compared with only 50% among other ranks, and 70% of RAF officers compared with 50 percent of other ranks.
As many as 64% of Royal Navy officers said they had job satisfaction, but only 48% of other ranks agreed that they were satisfied with their jobs.
Asked if they felt valued within their service, 49% of ratings in the Navy said they did not, along with 44% of soldiers and 53% of airmen.
More than half of those who responded to the survey were not satisfied with standards of military equipment and resources given to them to do their jobs.
Some 40% were unhappy with service accommodation, and 55% were dissatisfied with the standards of maintenance of their service housing.
LONDON--A survey by British Defense Ministry suggests that almost half of UK military personnel are ready to quit the forces.
Some 47% of Army and Royal Navy respondents and 44% of those in the RAF said they regularly felt like quitting.
Those surveyed mentioned issues such as the frequency of tours, levels of pay and the quality of equipment and housing as the reasons behind their concerns.
The Ministry of Defense said the survey, involving 9,000 servicemen and women, revealed "areas of concern" but that conditions were being improved.
The first survey to assess attitudes across the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Marines and the RAF revealed high levels of concern over morale, equipment and pay.
The Regular Army is already short of some 5,000 soldiers, amid worries that experienced young officers and senior NCOs are leaving at an increasing rate.
A sense of overstretch was reflected in all three services, with 36% saying they were not happy with the level of separation from family and friends.
Asked whether the frequency of tours had an impact on whether to leave or not, 38% of the Army said it had increased their intention to leave, while 59% overall said operation commitments and stretch made them more likely to leave.
The survey frequently showed wide differences between the levels of satisfaction expressed by officers in all services compared with other ranks.
For example, 73% of Army officers said they had job satisfaction, compared with 57% of soldiers; 71% of Royal Marine officers compared with only 50% among other ranks, and 70% of RAF officers compared with 50 percent of other ranks.
As many as 64% of Royal Navy officers said they had job satisfaction, but only 48% of other ranks agreed that they were satisfied with their jobs.
Asked if they felt valued within their service, 49% of ratings in the Navy said they did not, along with 44% of soldiers and 53% of airmen.
More than half of those who responded to the survey were not satisfied with standards of military equipment and resources given to them to do their jobs.
Some 40% were unhappy with service accommodation, and 55% were dissatisfied with the standards of maintenance of their service housing.
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