Half of troops ‘consider resigning’
Almost half of Britain’s service personnel have considered leaving the armed forces.
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) survey shows that 47 per cent of soliders and army officers have repeatedly considered resigning their posts.
Morale was judged to be low or very low by 64 per cent of those in the Royal Navy and 59 per cent of those in the Army. The Royal Air Force saw low morale among 72 per cent of respondents.
Nearly half felt overall morale in the services as a whole was low. Most felt proud but 46 per cent said they disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement ‘I feel valued in the service’.
Today’s survey will reinforce concerns about the sustainability of Britain’s military deployments overseas. Commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan have seen senior military figures repeatedly worry about overstretch, but defence minister Derek Twigg said he believed the MoD was taking action to improve conditions for personnel.
“We know that there is always more that can be done and later this month we are publishing the first cross-government service personnel strategy, which contains a number of measures that will further improve the support we offer to personnel, families and veterans and ensure that we address all of their concerns,” he said.
The introduction of childcare vouchers, a recent pay rise and changes to the operational bonus are among changes for the better implemented since the survey, Mr Twigg added.
