Memorandum from the Ministry of Defence
BACKGROUND
The Defence White Paper of 2003, "Delivering
Security in a Changing World", set out the need for flexible
and adaptable Armed Forces, configured and supported to undertake
expeditionary operations, building on the strategy outlined in
the Strategic Defence Review of 1998.
Experience on operations has shown that this flexibility
and agility must also be reflected in the support and supply chains.
These are essential to maintain front-line capability and combat
effectiveness; they are a key enabler to the generation of Force
Elements at Readiness (FE@R), capable of deploying wherever they
may be required.
In 2003 the Ministry of Defence undertook a comprehensive
review of logistics process, from the front-line to industry.
[19]The
review found that there was substantial excess capacity across
all elements of the process; at the front line, in the MoD in-house
repair capability and in industry. The required enhancements identified
in this review are now being implemented under what is called
the Defence Logistics Transformation Programme (DLTP), led by
the Chief of Defence Logistics as the Logistics Process Owner.
The aim of the Defence Logistics Transformation Programme
is to provide better logistic support to the Armed Forces, by
increasing the effectiveness, efficiency and flexibility of logistics
activity and optimising all such activity in support of the tasks
likely to be required of the Armed Forces. For the delivery of
front-line capability to the RAF, this has led to a reconfiguration
of processes for aircraft support in order to meet the needs of
an expeditionary air force and the achievement of better value
from the resources available.
A key driver of the reconfiguration was the outcome
of an extensive analysis of existing processes which showed that
sizeable efficiency savings would result from concentrating depth
support of the RAF's Fixed and Rotary Wing Fleets.
The analysis showed that concentrating support of
the RAF's Harrier and Tornado GR4 fast jet fleets "forward"
onto the RAF's Main Operating Bases would provide best value for
money and operational effectiveness compared with the alternative
of concentrating this depth support "backward" to DARA
St Athan.
A key reason for this outcome is that RAF Aircraft
support policy is underpinned by a requirement for the RAF to
have a sufficient number of tradesmen, capable of deploying to
operational theatres to support aircraft—this total is referred
to as the RAF Crisis Manpower Requirement (CMR). This ensures
that front-line capability and combat effectiveness is maintained
on operations and enables the sustainment of air power operations
where they are required. Within a smaller RAF, skilled technicians—and,
indeed, all RAF personnel—must also maintain a war-fighting
edge, as well as performing their day-to-day duties.
Where "depth" support is undertaken at
RAF stations, commanders will adopt a force structure to include
depth support personnel. All will be liable for deployed operations
to support aircraft. Depth "hubs" on RAF Units allow
"depth" personnel to train with other servicemen, including
aircrew, for the deployments they may undertake.
The End to End review investment appraisal process
showed clearly that the costs of moving the required RAF CMR personnel
to St Athan were significantly higher than the infrastructure
costs for upgrading the facilities at RAF MOBs. A key point is
that, had the investment appraisal process shown that concentrating
fast jet depth support at St Athan offered best value for money,
this would have required the RAF CMR personnel to relocate to
St Athan, displacing the majority of the DARA civilian workforce.
For Rotary Wing aircraft—Lynx and Sea King—the
CMR issue was not critical and the argument was more finely balanced.
By taking advantage of the synergies that could be achieved by
having the depth maintenance for Lynx, Sea King and Chinook in
one place, however, it became clear that concentrating the Rotary
Wing depth support at DARA Fleetlands offered best value for money.
The difference between the outcomes for Fixed and Rotary Wing
aircraft reflects the balance of operational (primarily CMR),
infrastructure and financial considerations in each case.
The new logistics support arrangements for military
aircraft now being implemented will deliver the improved efficiency
essential to maintain front-line capability and combat effectiveness,
whilst delivering significant financial benefits over the many
years of the service life of these platforms, delivering gross
savings of £10 million in the current year, rising to some
£40 million per annum from 2007-08.
The Department recognises that these fundamental
changes will have a significant impact on its military and civilian
workforce. Some 1,500 RAF posts are being reduced as a result
of the End to End/DLTP decisions and some 700 DARA job reductions
have already been announced, but these changes are essential if
we are to maintain the required front line capability effectively
and efficiently within the resources available.
The Committee posed specific questions, responses
to these are given below.
The expected benefits, such as improved frontline
capability, improved deployability and cost savings, which are
to result from the announcements made by Mr Ingram on 16 September
2004 (and the subsequent decisions made) concerning the Government's
preferred way forward for the future support of military aircraft.
The timetable in which the expected benefits are to be realised.
The aim of Defence Logistics Transformation Programme
(DLTP) is to improve our ability to support the outputs required
of the Armed Forces. By improving value for money for the taxpayer
the DLTP improves our ability to deliver the military capability
required by optimising all logistics activity to enable greater
availability of platforms.
The Harrier Joint Upgrade and Maintenance Programme
(JUMP) continues to deliver to schedule and budget at RAF Cottesmore.
The programme has created a single focal point for all Harrier
upgrade and maintenance activity, combining all lines of "on-aircraft"
maintenance with the Harrier GR9 upgrade programme. This solution
has significantly streamlined the overall logistics footprint
for the Harrier fleet and is delivering significant savings over
the next four years. It has improved maintenance turn-around-times
by 14%, and reduced man-hours for the first 10 aircraft in the
programme by 13%, with the total number of aircraft undergoing
maintenance and/or upgrade programmes at any one time reducing
from 24 to 13. This will enable more aircraft to be made available
to front-line commands, thus improving their ability to deliver
the required FE@R.
So far as the Tornado is concerned, once the
Tornado Future Support programme has achieved full maturity in
2008 the number of aircraft at RAF Marham undergoing "depth"
maintenance and/or upgrade at any one time will reduce from 22
to 16. Further work to review maintenance policies and work-schedules
is expected to reduce the work content of the maintenance packages
by at least one-third. Similarly, the Tornado propulsion facility
at RAF Marham will soon support the entire Tornado fleet, (with
deep industrial support being provided by Rolls-Royce Ansty) reducing
the number of on-base engine bays from seven to one. [20]
"Once the Tornado Future Support programme has
achieved full maturity in 2008 the number of aircraft at RAF Marham
undergoing `depth' maintenance and/or upgrade at any one time
will reduce from 24 to 18."
Furthermore, we indicated that the number of engine
bays was reducing from seven to one. Whilst this is factually
correct, in that, at one time, there were seven engine bays, from
March 2003 propulsion support for the GR4 and F3 fleet was provided
from only two bays. This has now been reduced to a single bay
at RAF Marham.
One of the keys to achieving savings is the
application of "lean" support methodology. For example,
process changes to Tornado's engine maintenance and the rationalisation
of repair facilities have already led to a reduction in the number
of people employed on this work from 2.6 to 0.7 per aircraft at
the front-line. Cost reductions will also be achieved by better
harnessing industry's design knowledge at the Main Operating Base
to reduce unnecessary repair activity.
RAF tradesman and women employed on depth maintenance
will maintain their high standards and remain subject to exacting
quality control measures. The Tornado Project Team is negotiating
a series of partnered support solutions with prime contractors.
On-aircraft "depth" maintenance for Lynx,
Chinook and Sea King will deliver significant savings as a result
of the concentration of "depth" maintenance for all
three platforms into "pulse-lines" at DARA Fleetlands.
The newly adopted "pulse-line" methodology, similar
to that being adopted at RAF Cottesmore for Harrier, allows aircraft
to pass through packaged maintenance activities, thereby reducing
repair turn-round-times and releasing aircraft more quickly from
repair to the front-line commands. For example, the time taken
for Lynx major maintenance should reduce from an average of 175
days to 140 days, with the number of Lynx undergoing repair at
any one time reducing from 42 aircraft to 27; higher aircraft
availability improves the ability of front-line commands to deliver
FE@R. Similar improvements are planned for Sea King and Chinook.
The changes we have made to the arrangements for
the future support of military aircraft will deliver gross savings
of £10 million in the current year, rising to some £40
million per annum from 2007-08.
The future viability of DARA as an MoD Trading
Fund, given the decision to concentrate the support of Tornado
GR4 aircraft forward at the MOB at RAF Marham, and the announcement
made on 21 July 2005 of job losses at DARA Fleetlands (Engines
Business Unit).
The Minister for the Armed Forces made clear in his
announcement last November that his decision to roll forward Tornado
GR4 depth support to RAF Marham would have significant implications
for DARA as a whole and, in particular, that currently envisaged
work would not be sufficient to sustain the St Athan business
unit on an economic and viable basis, if no alternative work could
be found.
DARA was formed in 1999 with the merger of the RAF
Maintenance Group Defence Agency and the Naval Aircraft Repair
Organisation. It became a trading fund in April 2001.
DARA's viability as a Trading Fund was an issue before
the decisions on Red Dragon and the future depth support of the
RAF's fast jets were taken. DARA has historically provided logistics
support for legacy or obsolescent military fixed wing and rotary
aircraft and their systems. Its longer term viability has, for
some time, been dependent upon winning new commercial/civil work,
to reduce its dependency on the MoD as its principal customer,
against a background of general industrial over-capacity in this
area.
The move of Harrier and Tornado GR4 depth support
to RAF Main Operating Bases—taken together with other factors,
such as the early withdrawal of the Jaguar fleet, the reduction
in Tornado F3 force levels and other more recent initiatives to
optimise aircraft depth maintenance cycles in light of operational
experience—have combined to impact significantly on workloads
in the short term, and the future viability of DARA as a whole
and the St Athan site in particular.
The Trading Fund comprises five Business Units; Fixed
Wing (St Athan); Rotary Wing (Fleetlands); Engines (Fleetlands);
Electronics (Sealand); and Components (Almondbank). The outcome
of the E2E review and the Defence Logistics Transformation Programme
will have a different impact on each of these and work is in hand
to assess the way forward for all parts of the DARA business (See
Answer to Question 3).
The recent announcement by DARA of up to 50 redundancies
in the Engines Business Unit at DARA Fleetlands follows the loss,
in open competition, of a major contract servicing and repairing
Tornado RB199 engine modules. We are optimistic that we will be
able to achieve a significant number of these reductions through
voluntary means and natural wastage. The loss of this work must,
however, inevitably have an impact on DARA's ability to win work
competitively in this very difficult market sector in the future.
The progress made in exploring with other Government
Departments alternative options for the DARA St Athan site and
the progress made on the study reviewing the strategic options
for the site's future.
In 2003 a decision was taken to consolidate the work
at DARA St Athan into a single purpose-built building, replacing
a series of badly maintained WW2 facilities. The project, (Red
Dragon) was part of an overall agreement to lease the St Athan
site to the Welsh Development Agency (WDA) and involves investment
from the WDA in the construction of the hangar, with the MoD leasing
the hangar back from the WDA.
The decision to proceed with the Red Dragon Superhangar
was based on a sound business case and the balance of the evidence
available at the time. This was subsequently overtaken by the
conclusions of the end to end review of military aircraft support,
which sought to address over capacity in the logistics process
as a whole (both within the Department and in Industry), but Red
Dragon has already enabled the achievement of significant efficiencies
and cost savings by DARA. Construction was well underway before
the emerging conclusions of the end to end review were known and
these would not, at that stage, have altered the basis of the
business case for consolidation of DARA's existing business at
St Athan.
Since Minister (AF)'s announcement on the way ahead
for the depth support of the RAF' fast jet fleets we have been
working closely with our colleagues in the Welsh Assembly Government
and others to explore all alternative options for the viable and
economic use of St Athan as defence work draws down. We have together
formed a Joint MoD/Welsh Assembly Steering Group at senior level,
which meets regularly to review progress and consider key strategic
issues. Representatives from other Government Departments, including
the Wales Office and the Department of Trade and Industry have
been co-opted onto the Steering Group to ensure pan-government
coherency. In addition we have, together with the Welsh Assembly,
formed and funded a Joint Marketing team, drawing on expertise
from within our respective departments, and external marketing
assistance, in the search to draw in new commercial business to
the St Athan site.
We have also been working within the Department to
examine other MoD uses for the St Athan site. The Committee may
already be aware that the site already provides a home for the
1st Battalion, The Welsh Guards. We have also considered what
other projects might bring benefits to the Department by their
location at St Athan. This work is continuing.
The Department is currently considering the future
options for DARA (and DARA St Athan in particular), as a matter
of urgency, given the need to resolve the various uncertainties,
not least for the DARA workforce. Once a Departmental view has
been reached we will discuss our conclusions with key stakeholders,
including the Trades Unions and our colleagues in the Welsh Assembly
Government, before any final decisions are taken. The criteria
for any final decisions will be quality of support to the front
line and overall value-for-money. We would hope to be able to
make an announcement about the preferred way forward for DARA
later this year. The Department would welcome an opportunity to
brief the Committee on the proposed way forward at the appropriate
time.
The progress made in preparing the MOB at RAF
Marham to support Tornado GR4 aircraft, including the progress
made in transferring the required number of RAF tradesmen from
other bases, such as RAF Lossiemouth.
Since Minister (AF) announced on 25 November 2004
that support for the Tornado GR4 aircraft would be concentrated
"forward" on the Main Operating Base at RAF Marham,
significant progress has been made to prepare `depth' facilities
at the Station in support of the whole Tornado GR4 fleet. This
activity can be summarised under three main headings: process,
people and infrastructure.
PROCESS
The maintenance organisation at RAF Marham (and other
Tornado Main Operating Bases) was re-configured to the "forward"
and "depth" construct on 1 April 2005. Since then, all
"depth" maintenance at Marham has been controlled by
the Defence Logistics Organisation's Tornado Integrated Project
Team. A specialist team has also been established to reorganise
existing maintenance activity, using "lean" principles.
The support solution for Tornado GR4 at RAF Marham will centralise
both on-aircraft (whole aircraft maintenance) and off-aircraft
(component repair and overhaul) work. Progress to date includes
replacing the traditional maintenance system with a "pulse-line"
similar to that successfully employed at RAF Cottesmore to support
the RAF Harrier fleet.
The majority of "off-aircraft"' work
will be carried out at RAF Marham in existing workshops that have
been radically re-organised and re-configured. For example, the
pylon maintenance bay has been re-configured and, by September
2005, will carry out all Tornado work. By December 2005, all on-base
engine work will have transferred to RAF Marham. Work to centralise
repair and overhaul of structural components is progressing. Work
still being carried out at RAF Lossiemouth is planned to transfer
by March 2006. Based on current plans, all work will have transferred
to RAF Marham by March 2007.
PEOPLE
There will be an impact on people working on
aircraft support at other Tornado MOBs. On 10 March 2005, Minister
(AF) announced how the overall reductions in RAF uniformed personnel
and MoD civilians, achieved as a result of the application of
the End-to-End logistic principles, would affect manpower levels.
The number of personnel supporting the Tornado fleets will be
reduced by some 931. This figure is made up of around 896 service
personnel and 35 civilians. There will also be a rebalancing of
posts across units as work is centralised. It is planned that
35 posts will have transferred from the RAF Lossiemouth propulsion
facility by 31 March 2006 to fully enable the centralised facility
at Marham. Over the next two years, as more work is centralised
at Marham, a total of around 260 posts will transfer from the
other Tornado bases to Marham, to support work in areas such as
the paint bay, structures bay and hydraulic bay. The precise numbers
and dates are yet to be finalised as they depend on factors such
as the outcome of Lean Events and contract completion dates.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Finally, some work will be undertaken to upgrade
the infrastructure at RAF Marham. The Station has sufficient hangars
and bays to support the Tornado GR4 aircraft fleet but a programme
of improvement, to be implemented over the next two financial
years, will be undertaken. The costs of this work were included
in the appraisal work leading to the end to end review decision.
Additional accommodation requirements for those personnel transferring
to Marham are being assessed.
The progress made in concentrating depth support
for Lynx, Chinook and Sea King back to DARA Fleetlands.
Although not without risk, the programme to concentrate
Rotary-Wing "depth" maintenance at DARA Fleetlands is
making good initial progress. Work is in hand to address the risks
and refine the programme in the optimum way.
The revised maintenance programme at DARA Fleetlands
was implemented in April 2005 and is running to schedule. The
first Lynx entered the new lean "pulse-line" at DARA
Fleetlands in mid-April, while the first Chinook and Sea King
entered their respective "pulse-lines" in June. It is
planned that all "depth" maintenance for Chinook will
have transferred to Fleetlands by October 2005, for Army Lynx
by November 2005, for RN Lynx by March 2007, RN Sea King by September
2005 and all RAF Sea King by October 2006.
A Roll Back Programme Director, supported by an internal
DARA team from within the Rotary business, was immediately established
in November 2004 to start mapping the new processes that will
help deliver the anticipated efficiency and cost savings.
The Programme is based on Value Stream Analysis,
whereby the "as is" end-to-end process is mapped and
measured, future state options developed and an implementation
plan agreed. The aim is to ensure consistent and measurable improvements
that guarantee the successful delivery of the increased Roll Back
volumes. The Fleetlands team secured the involvement of key MoD
stakeholders from the outset. Industry partners, Westland and
Boeing, are also an important and integral part of the Roll Back
Programme in their roles as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
With the help of experienced external consultants,
DARA has been able to set some challenging efficiency targets
to ensure that unnecessary costs and activities are driven out
of the business.
DARA's "Pulse line" closely mirrors the
approach that is operating at RAF Cottesmore, where depth maintenance
work on the Harrier fleet is now undertaken. It is expected that
the introduction of pulse lines will also help improve the availability
of spares and smooth the demands on the complicated logistics
supply chain. `Pulse' applies the methods of production to the
delivery of depth maintenance. The work environment is configured
in phases and the aircraft moves from phase to phase (pulse) at
defined intervals, ensuring each phase is conducted to a set schedule
of work.
The agreed future state will see three pulse lines
on Lynx, two pulse lines on Sea King and two pulse lines on Chinook.
Detailed planning and understanding of customer demand and optimisation
of current real estate determines that this is the most efficient
way to satisfy DARA's customers and drive the efficiencies necessary
to reduce overheads.
The Pulse line approach will result in planned turn
around time reductions of between 20% and 35% on Lynx, 21% to
34% on Sea King and 20% to 26% on Chinook. These turn round time
(TRT) improvements will enhance front line capabilities by reducing
the number of aircraft in maintenance by 36% for Lynx, 27% for
Sea King and 22% for Chinook, thus increasing the availability
of aircraft for operations.
Operational efficiencies and overhead cost reductions
are progressing with DARA on target to achieve a 20% reduction
in charging rates for 2005-06.
How Typhoon aircraft and Joint Strike Fighter
aircraft are currently supported/are planned to be supported in
the future.
TYPHOON
Between the commencement of RAF Typhoon development
flying and the end of June 2005, aircraft were operated, temporarily,
from BAE Systems Warton, Lancashire. This successful arrangement
allowed the RAF to benefit from the infrastructure and skills
at the company's site before transferring aircraft to RAF Coningsby
in July this year.
The Defence Logistics Transformation Programme (DLTP)
is focussing on Typhoon to ensure more cost-effective, through-life
support arrangements reflecting the current best practice and
the lessons learned from "leaning" support to current
platforms, such as Harrier and Tornado GR4. The Typhoon's "depth"
support "hub" is being established at RAF Coningsby
progressively from July 2005.
A "Whole Aircraft Scheduled Maintenance and
Upgrade" facility is envisaged. An interim arrangement will
be in place later this year, followed by a full facility expected
to be operational by the end of the decade. Inter alia,
this will provide for planned maintenance and "upgrade"
activities to bring earlier aircraft up to the later standards
as Typhoon is developed incrementally.
Industry partners are being engaged, to establish
a Prime Support Contractor Management (PSCM) relationship in order
to deliver long-term, cost-effective support. The principle is
to provide single-point accountability for delivery of an output-based,
integrated support solution to the Front-line Command. The selection
of repair and overhaul contractors for "off-aircraft"
component maintenance (by competition against long-term value-for-money
criteria) has commenced with the first contracts expected to be
in place in early-2007.
JOINT STRIKE
FIGHTER
Support for Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) is planned
to benefit from the economies of scale that the full 3,000-plus
global aircraft Joint Strike Fighter production base will bring.
It is likely that a depth maintenance facility,
at a Main Operating Base in the UK, will be feasible. If this
demonstrated to be cost-effective in the wider programme it will
be operated through a partnership between the MoD and Team Lockheed
(Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman).
How transport aircraft (such as C-130 aircraft,
C-17 aircraft and the A400M aircraft) and reconnaissance/surveillance
aircraft are currently supported/are planned to be supported in
the future.
Support arrangements for the MoD's fleets of transport
and reconnaissance/surveillance aircraft have been developed over
the past five years in line with the MoD's strategy to seek long-term
partnered arrangements with industry. In the case of the C-17
fleet, this arrangement takes advantage of the wider global support
solution provided by Boeing.
For the VC10 fleet, DARA has successfully partnered
under a BAE Systems prime contract arrangement to deliver the
long-term support solution with DARA St Athan as the "depth
hub". These partnered solutions are already driving down
support costs while at the same time improving the availability
of platforms to the front-line.
We will continue to explore support arrangements
for the large-aircraft fleets that will offer best value to the
MoD. In the majority of cases these would be partnered support
solutions achieved through a prime contractor, such as Marshall
Aerospace in the case of C-130.
The progress made in relation to the Airfield
Review and how the outcome of the review will affect the future
support of military aircraft and the delivery of frontline capability
to the RAF.
In March 2004 the then Under Secretary for Defence
announced the Department's intention to consolidate Defence activity
onto fewer, more densely utilised sites[21]
to optimise MoD's use of land and facilities and hence to enhance
the delivery of military capability and improve value for money.
The Defence Airfield Review, announced in July 2004, [22]is
part of this work. The aim of the Review is to create the optimum
basing posture to meet the security challenges of the 21 century
and best suited to the new aircraft types coming into service.
The Review takes the form of a series of business
cases. Those currently being examined are:
— Joint Combat Aircraft basing.
— Nimrod MRA4 basing.
— Volunteer Gliding School basing.
— University Air Squadron/Air Experience
Flying basing.
— UK Military Flying Training System.
The Department expects to announce a decision on
JCA basing later this year. Five candidates are under consideration;
RAF Lossiemouth, RAF Marham, RAF Leeming, RAF St Mawgan and RAF
Cottesmore.
On 10 March 2005[23]
the Minister for the Armed Forces announced that the MRA4 will
initially enter service at RAF Kinloss and that work continues
to assess whether the optimum long term basing solution will be
RAF Waddington or Kinloss. If Waddington is selected as the long
term base for MRA4 the aircraft would not relocate until at least
2013.
Opportunities will also be explored to rationalise
gliding and University Air Squadron activity onto fewer sites
where this provides cost-effective support arrangements.
The outcome of the Review will not drive the provision
of future support to aircraft. Nor will support solutions drive
airfield requirements. These processes work hand in hand to deliver
the optimum frontline capability within the resources available.
An update on the RAF redundancy programme, including
the number of redundancies made to date and the percentage of
these from the aircraft engineering trades.
[24]
The December 2003 Defence White Paper, Delivering
Security in a Changing World, set out a comprehensive statement
of Defence policy and the strategic environment in which the UKs
Armed Forces operate. Further work was undertaken on a sustainable
and affordable future force structure to support this policy and
the Secretary of State announced the resulting plans to restructure
the Armed Forces in July 2004. For the RAF, the changes in the
force structure and the achievement of planned organisational
efficiencies resulted in a reduced RAF trained manpower requirement
of around 41,000 by April 2008. The trained strength on 1 July
2005 was 48,610.
The RAF is exploiting the opportunity provided by
the new strategic environment and advances in technology to adapt
its structure and employment patterns to meet the demands that
it will face for the foreseeable future. The tempo of change in
RAF manpower will also be driven by a range of initiatives that
seek to make more efficient use of the mix of regular, reserve,
civilian and contractor personnel. The RAF has completed its initial
work to plan the drawdown of RAF regular manpower numbers by April
2008 and is undertaking further detailed work to identify future
manpower structures and capabilities that effectively support
operational capability in the new strategic environment, and which
are affordable and taut.
The drawdown in the trained strength of the RAF is
being achieved through a balanced strategy of normal outflow,
reduced recruitment and a targeted redundancy programme. The redundancy
programme will entakil around 2,750 redundancies, in three Tranches,
spread over two years. Tranche 1 is all but complete with 508
applicants selected for redundancy who were due to exit in September
2005; one one non-applicant ws selected for redundancy in Tranche
1 and is due to leave in March 2006. As expected, most of the
redundacies (463-around 90%) in Tranche 1 are in the aircraft
engineering trades. This is due mainly to the efficiencies arising
from the Defence Logistics Transformation Programme and, in particular,
the implementation of plans to realign RAF logistic support structures
from the traditional four lines of maintenance to two levels (Forward
and Depth).
Tranche 2 will comprise around 1,200 personnel all
of who were applicants. Those selected have been notified and
should leave the Service in April 2006; a small number of exit
dates may be deferred to meet transient manning needs. Around
65% (790) of those selected are from aircraft engineering trades.
The balance of around 1,050 redundancy places will
form Tranche 3 of the programme, with most applicants expected
to leave in April 2007 and non-applicants in September 2007. Tranche
3 is only in the initial planning stages, although we would expect
the aircraft engineering trades to feature again but probably
at a lower percentage than in the first two tranches.
The December 2003 Defence White Paper, Delivering
Security in a Changing World, set out a comprehensive statement
of Defence policy and the strategic environment in which the UK's
Armed Forces operate. Further work was undertaken on a sustainable
and affordable future force structure to support this policy and
the Secretary of State announced the resulting plans to restructure
the Armed Forces[25]
in July 2004. For the RAF, the changes in the force structure
and the achievement of planned organisational efficiencies resulted
in a reduced RAF trained manpower requirement of around 41,000
by April 2008. The trained strength on 1 July 2005 was 48,610.
The RAF is exploiting the opportunity provided by
the new strategic environment and advances in technology to adapt
its structure and employment patterns to meet the demands that
it will face for the foreseeable future. The tempo of change in
RAF manpower will also be driven by a range of initiatives that
seek to make more efficient use of the mix of regular, reserve,
civilian and contractor personnel. The RAF has completed its initial
work to plan the drawdown of RAF regular manpower numbers by April
2008 and is undertaking further detailed work to identify future
manpower structures and capabilities that effectively support
operational capability in the new strategic environment, and which
are affordable and taut.
The drawdown in the trained strength of the RAF is
being achieved through a balanced strategy of normal outflow,
reduced recruitment and a targeted redundancy programme. The redundancy
programme will entail around 2,750 redundancies, in three Tranches,
spread over two years. Tranche 1 is well underway with 507 applicants
selected for redundancy who are due to exit in September 2005;
only one non-applicant was selected for redundancy in Tranche
1 and is due to leave in March 2006. As expected, most of the
redundancies (463—around 90%) in Tranche 1 are in the aircraft
engineering trades. This is due mainly to the efficiencies arising
from the Defence Logistics Transformation Programme and, in particular,
the implementation of plans to realign RAF logistic support structures
from the traditional four lines of maintenance to two levels (Forward
and Depth).
Applications have already been received for Tranche
2 of the redundancy programme. It is anticipated that Tranche
2 will comprise around 1,200 personnel, and that those selected
will be applicants who will leave the Service in April 2006; any
non-applicants selected will leave in September 2006. Quotas for
Tranche 2 have yet to be finalised but it is anticipated that
around 60% (690) of those selected will be from aircraft engineering
trades.
The balance of around 1,050 redundancy places will
form Tranche 3 of the programme, with most applicants expected
to leave in April 2007 and non-applicants in September 2007. Tranche
3 is only in the initial planning stages, although we would expect
the aircraft engineering trades to feature again but probably
at a lower percentage than in the first two tranches.
An assessment of how the changes to RAF Force
Restructuring announced on 21 July 2005 (closure of RAF Saxa Vord
and changes to the RAF Regiment) will impact on the RAF's frontline
capability and whether further changes relating to RAF Force Restructuring
are expected and, if so, in what areas.
The RAF Regiment's Force Protection capability will
increase as a result of the restructuring announcements made in
July 2005. [26]The
addition of 40 personnel to both 3 Squadron RAF Regiment and the
Queen's Colour Squadron, (63 Squadron RAF Regiment) will enable
both squadrons to augment their existing capabilities by broadening
the range of skills available to them, eg the use of mortars and
enhanced surveillance, and bring their holistic capability up
to the levels of other squadrons in the same role. As a result,
the number of fully formed RAF Regiment Field Squadrons available
for deployment will rise from four to six, generating greater
operational flexibility for the RAF Regiment overall in its core
force protection role.
A reduction in the strategic requirement for Ground
Based Air Defence (GBAD) coverage prompted the rebalancing of
GBAD roles announced as part of the Addendum to the Defence White
Paper: Delivering Security in a Changing World, "Future Capabilities",
in July 2004. [27]The
re-allocation of the RAF's GBAD role to the Army will not reduce
the quality of GBAD coverage. The new Joint GBAD Headquarters,
launched on 1 July 2005, remains within the RAF Command Structure.
The disbandment of the four RAF Regiment Rapier squadrons has
enabled the transfer of the additional personnel to both 3 Squadron
and the Queen's Colour Squadron cited above. The augmentation
of Field Squadron capability reflects the higher operational priority,
against current threat assessments, of this role.
The decision to base RAF Regiment Force Protection
units at Main Operating Bases will also generate operational benefits.
Operational commanders will be able to draw on a package of force
elements who, through co-location, will have trained together
on a regular basis. This development of understanding and shared
skills will greatly enhance the RAF's holistic capability to deliver
Air Power.
Changes in the strategic environment mean that the
level of capability provided by RAF Saxa Vord in its Air Surveillance
and Control System role is no longer required. The level of air
surveillance coverage assessed as necessary can be provided by
other RAF radar sites, augmented by the National Air Traffic Service.
The site will continue to be maintained so that, should the strategic
environment change, it can be re-activated.
RAF force levels and structures are kept under constant
review in light of changes to the global security environment.
Work continues to implement the changes already announced, including
the co-location of HQ STC and HQ PTC at RAF High Wycombe. The
changes to RAF force structures made over the last 18 months will
contribute to the RAF's manpower reduction target of 7,500 personnel
by 2008. These changes are balanced against an equipment and infrastructure
investment programme which will improve capabilities in areas
required to deliver expeditionary air power.
September 2005
19 Streamlining End to End Air and Land Logistics
1 July 2003. Back
20
Update by MoD: The numbers of aircraft quoted as undergoing
depth maintenance needs to be changed. We stated that "once
the Tornado Future Support programme has achieved full maturity
in 2008 the number of aircraft at RAF Marham undergoing `depth'
maintenance and/or upgrade at any one time will reduce from 22
to 16." Having reviewed again this statement it is felt that
the figures, whilst correct as far as they go, do not portray
the complete picture and therefore could lead to confusion and
possible misinterpretation. Specifically, the figures did not
include two aircraft undergoing upgrade activity using a stand-alone
Contractors Working Party. By 2008 all such work will be carried
out at RAF Marham. Hence it is more accurate to state that: Back
21
Official Report: Column 47WS-23 March 2004. Back
22
Official Report: Column 348-21 July 2004. Back
23
Via letter to affected MPs. Back
24
Update by MoD: In addition, the information regarding the
RAF redundancy programme contained in this reply is updated below
to take account of the outcome of Tranche 2, announced at the
end of September: Back
25
Official Report col 343. Back
26
Official Report: column 117WS-21 July 2005. Back
27
Official Report: column 343-21 July 2004. Back
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