Recruiters have a key role to play in selling the skills of ex-military candidates ahead of planned cuts to the UK’s defence budget.

In a private letter to the Prime Minister David Cameron, leaked to The Daily Telegraph, defence secretary Liam Fox said “draconian” cuts to military spending cannot be implemented without “grave consequences” for the coalition government.

Jean Claude Hedouin, managing director at Ex-Mil Recruitment, told Recruiter: “If they cut the defence budget by 20% across the board, you can scrap the army, navy and air force. The army will fall to 93,000 - we will no longer be an army, we will be a defence force.

“Soldiers have IT/telecoms, engineering, project management, aviation, logistics and naval experience. It is not just the skills, it’s the soft skills, the management and problem-solving skills they possess.

“It is not fashionable to hire ex-military personnel. I have to try and educate employers on the skills and abilities of ex-military personnel. Soldiers don’t tend to need to sell themselves in the military.”

Ian Godden, chairman of A|D|S, the UK’s aerospace, defence and security trade organisation, adds: “The government needs to bear in mind that as well as the decision-maker on defence it is also the customer.

“Its decisions have a profound impact on our armed forces and the 300,000 people who work across the UK in the defence industry to support our troops. The defence budget has been relatively flat with little in the way of increases over the last 20 years while other government departments have seen their budgets double or even triple over the same time period.  

“With our troops constantly being asked to do more with less, the government is keen to increase exports and defence is able to deliver enhanced returns on investment – a £100m spend yields £227m in returns. It makes no sense on any level to be cutting investment in defence because of this knock-on effect on our armed forces and economic recovery.

“Furthermore, the proposals for a greater reliance on high-technology equipment in the future do not align with the cuts of over 20% in the MoD research and technology budget over the last three years which have already cost hundreds of high-skilled jobs in the industry.  
 
“There is, of course, room for reform within the armed forces, the industry and the MoD to deliver even greater improvements and we are committed to playing a full part in these changes that will also deliver savings.”