Around 140 of Gurkhas are to be told they face the sack, almost one in six of all the soldiers being dismissed to save money.
Almost 2,000 soldiers and RAF personnel will find out that they are being made redundant as a result of the controversial Strategic Defence and Review.
In all, the Army will sack 920 soldiers today. Around 660 departures will be voluntary, but 260 soldiers face compulsory dismissal. More than half of those will be Gurkhas, risking allegations that the 3,500-strong Brigade of Gurkhas is being disproportionately affected.
Defence officials said the cuts were necessary following changes to the Gurkhas’ terms of service in 2008, which gave them similar terms as the rest of the Army.
The changes meant that Gurkhas can serve for 22 years rather than the 15 to which they were previously restricted. The MoD says that made it more expensive to employ them, making them more vulnerable to cost-cutting redundancies.
It is understood that, in total, the Army received 870 applications for redundancy, although more than 200 of those were rejected. It is believed a disproportionate number came from senior officers disillusioned with military life and attracted by generous redundancy payments.
By contrast, only around six applications came from Gurkhas, whose forebears have served in the British Army since the Anglo-Nepal war of 1814-16.
Dr Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, said the sackings were “sad news” but blamed the previous administration.
“The responsibility for these redundancies lies with the incompetence of the last Labour government who left the nation’s finances broken and a £38 billion black hole in the defence budget,” he said.
... ... ... nepalawaz
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