Armed Forces: Recruitment

For the period 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, the median time between submitting an application and commencing basic training was 252 days in the Royal Navy, 247 days in the Army and 356 days in the Royal Air Force. Recruitment timelines have improved in both the Royal Navy and the Army compared with the previous reporting period, reflecting the impact of ongoing recruitment reforms.

The data capturing the time between recruits attending their medical assessment and commencing basic training is not held centrally in a comparable or meaningfully comparable for each of the Armed Forces.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is focused on reducing the time it takes candidates to join the Armed Forces, in line with the 2025 Strategic Defence Review. The MOD recognises that some candidates wait longer than desired to commence basic training. Recruitment timelines are affected by a range of factors, including medical and security checks, the availability of specialist training places, and candidate choice.

It is also important to recognise that many applicants choose to defer entry to complete education, honour existing employment commitments, or wait for their preferred role or training start date.

To address these challenges, Defence has delivered a range of recruitment reforms to reduce barriers to entry and shorten the time taken to join the Armed Forces. These include conditional offers of employment within 10 days and provisional training start dates within 30 days, the removal of over 100 outdated medical policies, greater digital access to candidate medical records, and improved candidate communications.

Defence is continuing to build on these reforms to improve the candidate experience and help motivated and capable people join the Armed Forces more quickly. The lessons identified are also informing the development of the Armed Forces Recruitment Service, which will further improve the speed and flexibility of Armed Forces recruitment.