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Armed Forces: Deployment

Answer

Time spent away from 'the family home' is not recorded for members of the armed forces. Time spent away is measured when an individual is away from their normal place of duty and is referred to as Separated Service (SS). Statistics are presented in the form of percentages of personnel breaching harmony rather than average number of nights spent away per person. Recording of SS only began in 2004 for all three Services.ArmyInformation on Army Separated Service is published in the quarterly 'Army Separated Service Report'. To enable reporting against Service Individual Harmony Guidelines (IHG), the Army Separated Service Report publishes periods of separation over a period of 30 months. Harmony guidelines recommend that a soldier should do no more than 415 days SS in any 30-month period. Latest Army statistics state that 10.3 per cent. of the Army is spending more than 415 days away from home base in a 30-month period, down by 3.1 per cent. since 1 January 2007, which equates to around 9,935 Army personnel exceeding harmony guidelines.Royal NavyBefore April 2004, SS was not recorded for individuals. However, for the period from 1997 until April 2004, units were programmed to meet a '60:40' operational pattern—60 per cent. deployed away from Base Port; 40 per cent. working at Base Port. Personnel attached to such a unit could therefore be assumed to have spent 60 per cent. (219 days) of a year away from their Base Port.In 2004 the recording of SS for individuals was introduced. The threshold for individual SS is currently 660 days away in a rolling 3-year period (referred to as 660/3) as a Category A (mandatory) Personnel Functional Standard (PFS). This guarantees individuals a minimum of 435 days at the home base over 3 years' harmony time. Due to the proactive management of individuals there is currently <1 per cent. of Naval Service personnel breaching the harmony guidelines of 660/3. Currently around 59 Naval personnel are breaching harmony.Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force operates a slightly different system which allows for greater flexibility within Expeditionary Air Wings. Under Harmony Guidelines an individual can be away for up to 140 days in a 12-month period before breaching harmony. However, the aspiration is not to deploy an individual for more than four months in every 20. The current SS figure (that is to say, those RAF personnel spending more than 140 days away from the home base in a 12-month period) is 6.7 per cent. of trained strength (around 2,918 RAF personnel).

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

155796; 465 c1346-7W

Session

2006-07

Subjects

Armed forces Deployment

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk