The federation says it has received e-mails from soldiers who express a sense of betrayal A “tidal wave of low morale” is sweeping through the Army because of “attacks” on allowances, a group representing military families says.
The rules on who can claim continuity of education allowance (CEA), which helps families pay for school fees, were tightened last December.
The Army Families Federation (AFF) says it has been inundated with outraged messages from all ranks over the move.
The MoD says it is doing everything it can to support military personnel.
The CEA enables military families, who are often on the move, to claim boarding school fees of up to £5,833 per child per term, but the rules on who can apply have been changed.
It is claimed by 5,500 military personnel, fewer than 3% of total service personnel, costing the MoD £180m a year. The government says the changes in the system would save £20m a year.
But the AFF says it has received e-mails from soldiers expressing a sense of betrayal. Many say they now question the government’s promise to create a new military covenant between the nation and its Armed Forces.
“Army personnel do feel betrayed – and secondly, they feel like they might leave the Army”
Catherine Spencer AFF
One e-mail read: “People have their backs to the wall and have no way of defending themselves. Pay freeze, loss of Child Benefit, tax increases, cost of living increases, the continual pressure of contemporary military life, allowance cuts, changes to CEA entitlement (or worse); when will it end?
“The government has directed that the armed services will be cut. They need to be made aware that they may end up with no armed service left at all!”
Catherine Spencer from the AFF said they had heard from an officer serving in Afghanistan and commanding officers over the issue.
“I think army personnel do feel betrayed. And secondly, they feel like they might leave the Army,” she said.
“It’s becoming unaffordable for them to stay in the Army, but there’s also a sense of feeling undervalued because of these cuts, as if the last 10 years they have given in Iraq and Afghanistan has been forgotten and the work they have done has been undermined.”
The government points to a recent rise in the operational allowance for those on the front line, but also says it is having to make savings right across the board.
Minister for Defence Personnel Welfare and Veterans Andrew Robathan said: “We are doing everything we can to ensure that the support we provide to them is focused on the most important areas, given the current financial situation.
“Changes that we have made, for example raising the operational allowance and increasing support to deal with mental health illness, show how we are focusing on the biggest issues.
“But the fact remains that we have inherited an economic mess from Labour and tough decisions have had to be made. Savings are needed across the public sector to bring the national deficit down, and the Armed Forces are not immune from this.”
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