British civil servants deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq because military operations generate large administrative workloads. Sending them into theatre kept the paperwork moving and exposed officials to more of the conditions behind their decisions. A smaller armed force also has fewer uniformed administrators available to absorb those duties internally. Force reductions can shift support work into the civil service without making the work disappear.
Notable Point · 1:42:17-1:43:30
Why civil servants deploy with armed forces
A discussion of carrier paperwork broadens into the administrative support that accompanies modern British deployments.