The Armed Forces have ‘too many’ senior officers, with their number outranking the amount of tanks, combat aircraft and warships combined, figures reveal.
Ministry of Defence (MoD) data shows that there are 211 General Officers in the Army, 135 Admirals and Flag Officers in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, and 126 Air Officers of Air Rank in the Royal Air Force, making a total of 472.
But with the Army having 225 Challenger 2 tanks, the Navy 64 ships, six destroyers and ten submarines, and the RAF with 113 Typhoon aircraft and 37 F-35 combat jets, the number comes to just 455.
Of the Army’s tanks, around 150 are operational, while recruitment is an issue as MoD figures show the number of recruits finishing training has fallen 38 per cent in five years.
The Navy’s fleet of 64 ships has just 16 classed as warships, which include eight frigates – of which six are operational.
Ministry of Defence (MoD) data shows that there are 211 General Officers in the Army, 135 Admirals and Flag Officers in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, and 126 Air Officers of Air Rank in the Royal Air Force, making a total of 472 (stock image)
The figures were released earlier this month in response to a question by Conservative MP Neil O’Brien.
Colonel Phil Ingram, a former Army intelligence officer, said: ‘The British military has a real problem with inflation of rank.
‘There are too many senior officers and not enough good leadership which is contributing to shocking recruitment.’
An MoD spokesman said: ‘The number of senior officers in the Armed Forces fulfils the obligations to the department and multilateral organisations we support, such as Nato.’
