Prospect, the union for defence specialists, attacked reports that MOD’s Defence Equipment and Support organisation faces a cut in its workforce from 28,000 to 19,000 because of last month’s comprehensive spending review.

"Operational demands on the army increase day-by-day but logistics support to the armed forces is to be slashed by a third," said Steve Jary, Prospect national secretary.

"This contradiction makes no sense, militarily or economically. MOD is not about to cut bureaucracy and administrative overheads, it is cutting the direct supply chain to the front line – clothing and equipment, accommodation and training.

"These are roles and activities the armed forces and the defence select committee has said are vital to the UK’s military effort and which are already in a state of shock because of previous rounds of cuts."

Jary said random, Treasury-driven cuts and transfers to industry were taking place all over MOD. "The MOD is literally disintegrating before our eyes. Government must act now to re-balance the demands for support to the army, navy and air force.

"Investing billions of pounds in aircraft carriers and Trident’s replacement are absolutely irrelevant to the pressing need for more army support for the front line. The last strategic defence review was in 1998 and the government must update its programmes to face the reality of the military challenge in the 21st century."Prospect will be challenging the planned cuts to DE&S at meetings this week between unions and the Chief of Defence Materiel. He also called for the Commons Defence Select Committee to mount an urgent inquiry before any cuts were put into effect.

Note: The 2004 spending review set a target for MOD to reduce civilian posts in administrative and support roles by 11,000 by the end of March 2008. By March 2007, MOD had cut 9,600 civilian posts. On 1 April 2007, MOD employed 98,000 civilian staff, including 16,000 locally employed civilians.