The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) published its updated quarterly service personnel statistics on 30 May 2024, noting that, as at 1 April 2024, the overall strength of UK forces service personnel stood at 183,230: a decline of 5,590 (3%) since 1 April 2023.
The figures showed that full-time trained personnel in the UK armed forces stood at 129,760, having declined by 3,800 (3%) over the same period, and that, while 11,300 people had joined the UK regular armed forces in that time, 15,730 people had left. The figures show a particular problem with the strength of the army, which continues to present an ongoing recruitment problem.
In November 2015, under its Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 (SDSR 2015), the MoD outlined plans to uplift the size of the regular armed forces, setting targets for a strength of 82,000 for the army, 30,450 for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines and 31,750 for the Royal Air Force RAF).
Meanwhile, slightly adjusting its Reserves in the Future Force 2020 programme first presented in July 2013, the UK government under SDSR 2015 set out personnel targets of 3,100 for the Maritime Reserve, 30,100 for the Army Reserve and 1,860 for the RAF Reserve for a total of 34,900. However, the latest figures show the strength of the Trained Future Reserves 2020 to be 29,570 as at 1 April 2024: a decrease of 790 (3%) since 1 April 2023.
As at 1 April 2024 the British Army had 110,304 service personnel, among whom were 75,325 regular forces, 4,305 Gurkhas, 26,086 volunteer reservists, 1,730 serving regular reservists and 155 sponsored reservists.
However, from October 2016 the army stipulated that it would count personnel who have completed Phase 1 Training (basic service training) but not Phase 2 Training (trade training) in its figures for trained personnel, meaning the figures for personnel who are fully trained are worse than the official statistics portray.
The Royal Navy and Royal Marines, meanwhile, had 37,784 personnel, among whom were 32,000 regular forces, 3,308 volunteer reservists, 817 serving regular reservists and 1,659 sponsored reservists (mostly in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary).
The RAF had 35,142 service personnel, among whom were 30,796 regular forces, 3,079 volunteer reservists, 1,184 serving regular reservists and 133 sponsored reservists.
The UK MoD has for some time acknowledged it has an issue with meeting its manpower targets for the reserves, but the latest figures reveal that its initiatives in that regard, such as encouraging ex-regulars to join the Volunteer Reserve and offering early commitment bonuses to direct-entry officer entrants into the Territorial Army, are not having the desired effect.
The other issue is that, having committed a decade ago to relying on a higher quotient of reservists in the armed forces, a greater proportion of the UK armed forces will inevitably be at reduced readiness amid the current climate of greater geopolitical instability in Europe as a result of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
On 26 May 2024 the UK’s Conservative government outlined plan to reintroduce national service in the UK if the party wins the upcoming general election on 4 July. This is most unlikely to materialise, however, with national opinion poll averages putting the Labour Party at around 45% of the national vote at the end of May compared to around 24% for the Conservatives.
16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, the British Armys global response force, is leading a force of more than 2,300 soldiers, sailors and aviators from four countries working together in Estonia on Exercise Swift Response. The training is about NATO airborne forces building their ability to respond together to crises.
It is part of Steadfast Defender 24, NATOs largest military exercise since the Cold War, which involves approximately 90,000 troops from all 32 NATO allies.
