Some Army generals “cannot admit” that Army recruitment is “now a total shambles” and they “have got it horribly wrong.”
Military personnel will tell you that the British Army is the best in the world, however that fact is we not longer are as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) are in “denial” over the “dire state of both recruitment” and also “retention.”
The British Army is now at its “smallest size since Napoleon” which is a total embarrassment as the UK is not prepared for war as we are in the “moment” of the “calm before the storm.”
Former Security Minister Sir John Hayes said that there must be a recruitment campaign which is based on patriotism along with a “strong emphasis on national service and duty.”
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Last month General Sir Patrick Sanders Chief of the General Staff warned Brits they must be ready for war with Russia and they will need to “think like troops.”
Admiral Rob Bauer, chairman of the NATO Military Committee, also warned that Western countries have to be ready “to find more people if it comes to war.”
General Sir Patrick echoed those comments as Admiral Bauer said that the UK and European countries will have to consider “mobilisation, reservists or conscription” as the West are preparing for war with Russia.
MPs are worried that time is fast running out for the UK to build a proper military force that is needed as international threats are increasing and we are now living is a “pre-war” period.
The British Army set a target to recruit 8,220 people in 2022-23 for non-officers, but they failed and only 5,560 started basic training.
Former Armed Forces minister Mark Francois said the situation is a “total shambles” and took aim at Capita who provide recruitment.
Francois blasted, “The MoD remains in complete denial about the dire state of both recruitment and retention in the British Army.
“Capita, who have been screwing up Army recruitment for over a decade, should have been sacked long ago – except the senior civil servants and a few generals simply cannot admit they got it horribly wrong.
“It’s now a total shambles.”
In 2012 there was 102,758 soldiers and in 2023 the number of service personnel fell to 75,983 and there is concern that there are now plans to cut the size of the Army to 73,000.
Tobias Ellwood, a former Conservative defence minister, said, “Russia’s occupation of Ukraine marks the beginning of another dark chapter in European history.
“With China increasingly propping up Russia, the prospect of further conflict in Europe is real.
“This moment – the calm before the storm – is the time to be strengthening our resilience rather than dismantling it.”
He added, “Only by increased defence spending can we retain the world-class, professional fighting force our nation is traditionally known and respected for. Time is running out to bolster our defence posture.”
Luke Pollard, Labour’s Shadow Armed Forces Minister, “The Conservatives have spent millions on recruitment while failing to hit their targets and cutting our Army to its smallest size since Napoleon,” he said.
A spokeswoman for Capita said a “tightening of the global labour market” has “impacted recruitment across major military nations.”
A MoD spokesman said, “With one of the largest defence budgets in Europe, the Army continues to meet all of its commitments, including deploying 16,000 troops to a NATO exercise this year.
“We have put in place a number of measures, including improved career opportunities and making it easier for people to rejoin, on top of the largest pay increase in more than 20 years.
“Headline numbers of regular personnel do not define the Army’s operational effectiveness.”
