Defence cuts to hit 9,500 Army posts The cost of the next 9,500 Army redundancies in 2014 and 2015 is expected to be far higher, given that many of those being axed are officers of the rank of lieutenant colonel and above. Millions will also be spent on "resettlement courses," which every member of the Armed Forces is encouraged to attend - at a cost of £6,500 to help prepare them for civilian life. The fees for such courses could increase the overall cost by £100 million. Many soldiers who will be made redundant or who will volunteer for redundancy will leave with a lump sum, as well as a full pension. For a lieutenant colonel, this could amount to a tax-free lump sum of more than £150,000 plus an annual pension of £24,000. The plan for redundancies will target areas where there are surplus troops, such as the infantry, where the number of battalions is being reduced from 36 to 31. Members of the Royal Artillery and the cavalry will be cut and the Royal Logistic Corps and the Corps of Royal Engineers are being axed. Soldiers who have been wounded on operations but have recovered also face redundancy, though troops still in recovery will be spared the axe. Only signals, intelligence and the special forces are likely to be safe. Also exempt from the 2013 cuts will be soldiers who are preparing to go or are serving in Afghanistan, though they could be axed in 2014. Civil servants will also be affected as the Ministry of Defence cuts 25,000 posts. The redundancies are due to coincide with Britain's withdrawal from Afghanistan, which the Prime Minister is keen to accelerate, provided that he can win the support of Gen Sir David Richards, the Chief of the Defence Staff. The MoD plans to bolster the size of the Army with 30,000 reservists by 2020. Individual territorial soldiers have performed well in Afghanistan and Iraq, but senior officers doubt that whole units of part-timers could achieve similar success. The impact of the cuts, which has reduced the Army to a size not seen for more than 100 years, has also affected morale. One officer said: "There are soldiers returning from risking their lives in Afghanistan who will be out of a job in a year's time. They would have seen their best friends killed and injured, and their reward is effectively the sack. Little wonder that many of them feel embittered and angry.