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Armed Forces: Labour Turnover

Asked by Luke AkehurstLabourMinistry of DefenceTabled Answered 22 July 2024UIN 441

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of recruitment and retention across the armed forces.

Answered by Luke Pollard

The new Government is reviewing the adequacy of recruitment, readiness and retention efforts. Our Armed Forces face considerable challenges due to the inadequacy of recruitment and retention in recent years. We have not recruited enough people or retained enough people. This puts pressure on the availability and readiness of units within our Armed Forces and places more burden on those in service. We are determined to change this. The new Government’s work in improving retention and recruitment is part of a package of measures aimed to renew the contract between the nation and those who serve. Strength of our Armed Forces is also being considered as part of the Strategic Defence Review launched by the Prime Minister. We hope to make further announcements about retention and recruitment improvements in due course.

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