Armed Forces are not 'spare capacity' for striking workers, says Chief of Defence staff

The Armed Forces are not “spare capacity” for striking workers, the chief of the defence staff has said as he cautioned against relying on the military as the “ultimate backstop” during industrial action.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the head of Britain’s Armed Forces, said it would be “slightly perilous” to expect them to be used routinely in the event of strikes by public sector workers.
In an exclusive interview for The Telegraph, Adml Radakin said the use of armed forces to provide cover for striking workers would not impede operations but suggested personnel should be allowed to get on with their day-to-day jobs.
“We’re not spare capacity,” he said. “We’re busy and we’re doing lots of things on behalf of the nation. We’ve got to focus on our primary role.”
Last night, the Cabinet Office confirmed that arrangements had been made to deploy 1,200 Armed Forces personnel to replace striking NHS ambulance drivers and Border Force workers this week, costing around £5.6million per week.
The number includes 600 drivers and a further 150 personnel providing logistical support to military personnel driving ambulances during a 999 workers strike on Dec 21.
The army will also provide contingency cover for Border Force by checking documents and passports.
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