The United Kingdom is to launch a new combined Armed Forces Recruitment Service (AFRS) in 2027 to replace the individual schemes run by the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
The new service, announced by UK Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard on 6 February 2025, will provide a streamlined, single-entry point for prospective recruits and is intended to more efficiently recruit the best talent from across the country and deliver better value for taxpayer money.
The announcement follows UK Defence Secretary John Healey’s commitment in 2024 to tackle long application waiting times for the armed forces, with a new ambition to make a conditional offer within 10 days and confirmation of a training start date within 30 days.
Under the new recruitment service, candidates will complete one application and one medical evaluation via a single, digital system, offering a more straightforward process that seeks to retain applicant interest. The digitally enhanced process will see applications reviewed, offers made and training begin at a faster pace than individual services currently.
Existing processes have struggled to meet the evolving needs of modern recruitment, with inefficiencies and delays leading to fewer than one in 10 applicants joining in 2023.
The UK armed forces, meanwhile, remain under strength. In April 2024, when UK defence personnel statistics were last logged, all three UK services were below their targeted full-time trained strength: the British Army by 1%, the Royal Navy/Royal Marines by 5% and the Royal Air Force by 10%. Overall, the UK armed forces were 5,440 personnel (1%) below target at that point.
AFRS has been developed in partnership with Serco, which is tasked with delivering it as prime contractor under a contract worth around GBP 1 billion (EUR 1.2 billion) over an initial seven-year term and up to GBP 1.5 billion should the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) elect to exercise all three one-year extension options beyond the initial term.
A 21-month AFRS mobilisation period is expected to begin in April 2025 before the new service begins in early 2027.
“This government is delivering for defence and taking decisive action to address recruitment and retention challenges within our armed forces,” Pollard was quoted as saying in an MoD press release. “For too long we have seen keen and capable prospective recruits failed by an outdated system, full of delays and inefficiencies.
“Our innovative new Armed Forces Recruitment Service will help us attract top talent from across the UK – bolstering our national security as the foundation for our government’s Plan for Change.”
In a separate move to attract a broader range of recruits, the Pollard also announced on 6 February a new direct-entry initiative for cyber roles within the UK armed forces. Recruits under the scheme will have a reduced basic training schedule but will receive specialist cyber training and a starting salary of GBP 40,000.
