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Navy: Manpower

Volume 490: debated on Friday 27 March 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) required strength, (b) actual strength and (c) percentage shortfall is in each trade in the Royal Navy. (266944)

The following table provides information on the liability and actual trained strength as at 1 February 2009 for each trade/specialisation for both officers and ratings/other ranks.

February 2009

Branch

Specialisation

Liability

Regular strength

Surplus/ Deficit (%)

FTRS

Total inc. FTRS

Surplus/ Deficit (%)

Officers

Warfare

Air Traffic Controller

80

80

2

0

80

2

Aviator

50

60

23

0

60

23

Communications

30

50

64

0

50

64

Fighter Controller

40

50

11

0

50

11

Electronic Warfare

20

30

74

0

30

74

RN Police

20

20

8

1

20

14

Hydrographer/Metographer

190

160

-13

10

170

-10

Mine Clearance Diver/Mine Warfare

110

130

20

1

140

23

Pilot

430

500

16

1

510

17

Observer

480

350

-27

1

350

-26

Observer or Pilot

1

0

n/a

0

0

n/a

Principle Warfare Officer

480

550

14

10

560

16

General Service Warfare

290

440

51

10

450

53

Submariner

320

320

1

1

320

2

Other

1

0

n/a

0

0

n/a

Any Warfare

370

0

n/a

0

0

n/a

Warfare Total

2,920

2,750

-6

40

2,780

-4

Engineers

Air Engineer

290

310

7

1

310

7

Information Systems

80

80

-3

1

80

-2

Information Systems (Submariner)

1

1

50

0

1

50

Training Manager

200

220

9

10

220

12

Training Manager (Submariner)

10

20

217

0

20

217

Marine Engineer

250

330

30

1

340

32

Marine Engineer (Submariner)

250

270

7

0

270

8

Weapons Engineer

370

430

17

1

430

18

Weapons Engineer (Submariner)

200

220

13

1

220

14

Any General Service Engineer

50

0

n/a

0

0

n/a

Any Submariner Engineer

20

0

n/a

0

0

n/a

Any Engineer/No Spec

40

0

n/a

1

1

n/a

Engineers Total

1,750

1,880

7

20

1,900

9

Logistics

Barrister

20

30

26

0

30

26

Chartered Management Accountant

10

20

128

0

20

128

Any Logistics/No Specialisation

520

410

-20

10

420

-19

Logistics Submariner

20

100

315

0

100

315

Family Services

1

1

-75

0

1

-75

Logistics Total

580

560

-3

10

560

-2

Royal Marines

General Service

720

640

-12

90

720

0

BS

10

10

12

0

10

12

Royal Marines Total

730

650

-11

90

740

0

Doctors

240

260

9

0

260

9

Dentists

60

60

-5

1

60

-3

Queen Alexandra Royal Naval Nursing Service

100

80

-16

_

80

-16

Medical Services

60

60

-4

1

60

-2

Chaplains

80

60

-17

0

60

-17

Careers

1

1

0

1

1

100

Inter Branch Trainees

_

30

n/a

0

30

n/a

Officers Total

6,520

6,400

-2

160

6,560

1

Warfare General Service

Warfare Specialisation

960

1,060

11

0

1,060

11

Above Water Tactical

510

450

-12

10

450

-11

Above Water Warfare

420

370

-12

10

380

-11

Electronic Warfare

240

200

-16

0

200

-16

Underwater Warfare

230

220

-7

1

220

-6

Communications Information Systems

1,050

1,020

-3

10

1,030

-2

Hydrographer/Metographer

100

90

-7

0

90

-7

Mine Warfare

320

310

-3

1

310

-2

Diver

300

300

-3

1

300

-2

Seaman

850

690

-18

1

700

-18

Survey Recorder

50

50

-3

0

50

-3

Weapons Analyst

1

1

28

0

1

28

Physical Training Instructor

220

220

-2

1

220

0

RN police

280

270

-3

20

280

2

Telephonists

1

1

-50

0

1

-50

Communications Technician

250

260

4

1

260

4

Warfare General Service Total

5,780

5,510

-5

50

5,560

-4

Warfare Aviation

Aircrew man

110

140

25

1

140

26

Naval Airman (Aircraft Controller)

150

110

-25

1

120

-24

Naval Airman (Aircraft Handler)

440

420

-5

0

420

-5

Naval Airman (Metographer)

70

70

6

0

70

6

Naval Airman (Photographer)

100

90

-8

0

90

-8

No Spec

0

1

n/a

0

1

n/a

Warfare Aviation Total

870

830

-4

1

840

-4

Warfare Submariner

Coxswain Submariner

40

40

8

0

40

8

Sensors Submariner

370

330

-11

1

330

-10

Tactical Submariner

250

230

-10

1

230

-9

Communications Information Systems Submariner

250

210

-16

1

210

-15

Warfare Submariner Total

910

810

-11

10

820

-10

Engineering General Service

Weapons Engineering Technician/Mechanic/Artificer

2,050

2,050

0

10

2,050

0

Marine Engineering Technician/Mechanic/Artificer

3,270

3,070

-6

1

3,070

-6

Education Training & Support

10

1

-4

0

1

-4

Any Engineer GS

1

0

n/a

0

n/a

Engineering General Service Total

5,320

5,120

¦4

10

5,130

-4

Engineering Submariner

Weapons Engineering Technician/Mechanic/Artificer SM

840

880

5

20

890

7

Marine Engineering Technician/Mechanic/Artificer SM

1,340

1,170

-13

40

1,210

-9

Engineering Submariner Total

2,170

2,040

-6

60

2,100

-3

Engineering -Air Engineer

Air Engineering Technician/Mechanic/Artificer

3,290

3,160

-4

10

3,170

-3

Naval Airman (Safety Equipment)

180

170

-4

0

170

-4

Engineering - Air Engineer Total

3,470

3,330

-4

10

3,350

-3

Logistics

Catering Services (Preparation)

870

800

-8

10

810

-7

Catering Services (Preparation) Submariner

110

140

24

0

140

24

Catering Services (Delivery)

570

530

-8

1

530

-8

Catering Services (Delivery) Submariner

70

60

-9

_

60

-9

Catering Services - Any Personnel

10

0

n/a

0

0

n/a

Personnel

860

830

-4

10

840

-3

Personnel Submariner

50

60

13

0

60

13

Supply Chain

660

630

-5

1

640

-4

Supply Chain Submariner

70

90

42

1

100

45

Family Services

30

20

-26

0

20

-26

Any Logistics

1

0

n/a

0

0

n/a

Logistics Total

3,310

3,170

-4

20

3,190

-4

Medical

Dental Hygienist

20

10

-18

0

10

-18

Dental Surgery Assistant

90

90

-2

0

90

-2

Medical Assistant (General Service and Submariner)

650

660

1

0

660

1

Naval Nurse

210

190

-10

0

190

-10

Medical Technical

20

30

38

0

30

38

Any Medical

1

0

n/a

0

0

n/a

Medical Total

1,000

990

-1

0

990

-1

Royal Marines

General Service

6,000

5,560

-7

110

5,660

-6

Musician

270

260

-5

0

260

-5

Bugler

60

60

-5

0

60

-5

Royal Marines Total

6,330

5,870

-7

110

5,980

-6

Careers

1

0

n/a

150

150

n/a

Any Branch/Spec

100

0

n/a

0

0

n/a

Inter Branch Trainees

0

150

n/a

0

150

n/a

OR Total

29,260

27,810

-5

430

28,240

-3

1 = 5 or less than 5.

Notes:

All figures rounded to nearest 10. Where figure ends in 5, figure rounded to nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Percentages are calculated on original unrounded figures.

Some liability lines, such as "Any Warfare", can be filled from a range of different trades. This makes it impossible to show a one-to-one list of liability against strength split by trade. Not all filled posts count towards the liability (e.g. the 150 Careers Service FTRS Other Ranks all fill posts that are not included in the liability).

Some trades (e.g. PWOs, MCD/MW) have been merged in the table where this makes comparison between strength and liability easier.

Surpluses and deficits shown at branch/trade levels mask significant variations at branch levels.

Inter-Branch trainees, trained people in one trade who are retraining for a new trade, count towards the total trained strength, but are not reported against any trade until they become trained in their new trade.