The Ministry of Defence is set to double the number of civilian jobs it will cut this year, Prospect has warned. The union learned yesterday that MOD is about to announce it will let 8,000 civilian staff go on early release in 2011-12.

Steve Jary, Prospect national secretary, was widely quoted in today's papers, calling the jobs decision "incomprehensible." He said: "A few weeks ago MOD ruled out any increase on the 4,000 figure this year, saying it would be too risky to let more staff go in the current operational climate.

"Suddenly it is seized with panic and doubles the scale of job losses before it has even got approval from the Treasury to pay the redundancy bills.

"This is indicative of a department that has lost its ability to cope with the financial pressures it is facing. It is short-termism gone mad."

Prospect has argued that MOD cannot afford to lose in-house specialist skills on the scale envisaged by the cuts programme because of the impact on UK military capabilities.

"The armed forces need the skills of our members as much today as yesterday," said Jary. "There is absolutely no justification for rushing through these damaging cuts other than to meet the Treasury's budget targets."

MOD originally planned to lose 4,000 civilian posts in 2011-12, 8,000 in 2012-13 and 3,500 in 2013-14. Five thousand more posts would be lost by privatisation, and the remainder of the 25,000 target would be lost by natural wastage.

Earlier this year 14,000 MOD staff applied for the 4,000 early releases being offered by MOD.

The news was widely covered by the media, including the Guardian, Glasgow Herald, Aberdeen Press and Journal, London Metro, People Management  and Defence Management.