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Survey finds most soldiers unhappy with service life
Richard Norton-Taylor
Saturday November 5, 2005
The Guardian
Nearly three-quarters of soldiers feel undervalued and nearly two-thirds are dissatisfied with the standard of their accommodation, according to the latest survey on attitudes in the army.
Every year, more than half of all British soldiers spend £13m out of their own pockets on combat equipment, with officers spending £1.6m, the survey suggests.
The "continuous attitude" survey is based on 2,900 responses between December 2004 and April this year. A copy has been placed in the House of Commons library.
Only one in two soldiers said they were satisfied with their job and were confident in their fighting equipment.
A quarter said they had complained about unfair treatment and discrimination and 47% said they "often think of quitting", with more than 40% saying they would probably look for a new job in the coming year. Eighty-five per cent said they believed bullying existed in the army. Eight out of 10 were dissatisfied with the effects of army life on their families.
Four in 10 soldiers say army life is "worse or much worse than I expected it to be", according to the survey. Taking the army as a whole, that amounts to 32,000 soldiers.
Michael Moore, Liberal Democrat defence spokesman, who has seen the survey, said yesterday: "It is disgraceful that soldiers are forced to spend so much out of their own pockets on combat kit and clothing because they have no confidence in their standard issue."
He added: "It is equally disturbing that one in four have been subject to abusive or unfair treatment ...
"The consequences are all too clear: a staggering one in two soldiers often think of quitting. In truth, this is a wake-up call for ministers."
Mr Moore continued: "At a time when ministers are placing more and more demands on our forces - with impending deployment to Afghanistan, and with no trace of an exit strategy for Iraq - serious questions must be asked about Whitehall support for our troops in the field."
Pressures on the defence budget are delaying badly needed improvements to soldiers' accommodation and other facilities as well as equipment.
However, recruitment and retention is not being significantly hit yet, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Defence.
There is a shortfall of 1,900 in the number of soldiers the army requires to meet its new official target of 90,320, excluding officers, the figures say.
However, they relate to the year ending last April and look much better than they might have done because they take into account a significant cut in the total number of soldiers it says Britain needs.
Recently, senior army officers have been expressing much more concern about recruitment of both officers and soldiers, partly because of Iraq.
If a similar survey was undertaken here, what would the results be like?
Richard Norton-Taylor
Saturday November 5, 2005
The Guardian
Nearly three-quarters of soldiers feel undervalued and nearly two-thirds are dissatisfied with the standard of their accommodation, according to the latest survey on attitudes in the army.
Every year, more than half of all British soldiers spend £13m out of their own pockets on combat equipment, with officers spending £1.6m, the survey suggests.
The "continuous attitude" survey is based on 2,900 responses between December 2004 and April this year. A copy has been placed in the House of Commons library.
Only one in two soldiers said they were satisfied with their job and were confident in their fighting equipment.
A quarter said they had complained about unfair treatment and discrimination and 47% said they "often think of quitting", with more than 40% saying they would probably look for a new job in the coming year. Eighty-five per cent said they believed bullying existed in the army. Eight out of 10 were dissatisfied with the effects of army life on their families.
Four in 10 soldiers say army life is "worse or much worse than I expected it to be", according to the survey. Taking the army as a whole, that amounts to 32,000 soldiers.
Michael Moore, Liberal Democrat defence spokesman, who has seen the survey, said yesterday: "It is disgraceful that soldiers are forced to spend so much out of their own pockets on combat kit and clothing because they have no confidence in their standard issue."
He added: "It is equally disturbing that one in four have been subject to abusive or unfair treatment ...
"The consequences are all too clear: a staggering one in two soldiers often think of quitting. In truth, this is a wake-up call for ministers."
Mr Moore continued: "At a time when ministers are placing more and more demands on our forces - with impending deployment to Afghanistan, and with no trace of an exit strategy for Iraq - serious questions must be asked about Whitehall support for our troops in the field."
Pressures on the defence budget are delaying badly needed improvements to soldiers' accommodation and other facilities as well as equipment.
However, recruitment and retention is not being significantly hit yet, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Defence.
There is a shortfall of 1,900 in the number of soldiers the army requires to meet its new official target of 90,320, excluding officers, the figures say.
However, they relate to the year ending last April and look much better than they might have done because they take into account a significant cut in the total number of soldiers it says Britain needs.
Recently, senior army officers have been expressing much more concern about recruitment of both officers and soldiers, partly because of Iraq.
If a similar survey was undertaken here, what would the results be like?
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