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Army chief 'understands' post SDSR fears

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The head of the Army has said he accepts that redundancies are starting to bite and that more funding for military homes is needed "sooner rather than later"

General Sir Peter Wall was responding to the latest findings from his briefing team who regularly consult Army personnel.

A summary of the latest report reveals soldiers not facing redundancy are worried that cuts will result in higher workloads.

It appears in Soldier, the Army's in-house magazine, along with an article by the Chief of the General Staff in which he expresses sympathy for how soldiers are feeling.

"I appreciate that this is unsettling for many. During this early period of transition, I recognise that gaps are appearing as redundancy bites," he says in the article.

Turning to military accommodation, he says ministers must spend more on housing “sooner rather than later”.

“The quality of lodgings is not yet up to the standard we aspire to. It is unfortunately one of the impacts of the continuing financial climate and one of the many difficult decisions defence has had to take.”

He adds: “While I welcome the recent investment in Single Living Accommodation and Service Families Accommodation, and I am glad to see further upgrades are planned for the coming years, more funding is needed sooner rather than later.”