Armed Forces face crisis as only 12pc of applicants to join reserves are recruited

More than 800,000 applications to join the Armed Forces were withdrawn in last decade – Cunaplus_M.Faba/iStockphoto

The military’s reserves recruitment crisis has been laid bare as new figures reveal more servicemen and women left the services than joined up last year.

In the 12 months to September 2023, 5,580 reservists left the Armed Forces, while only 3,780 were taken on.

The data come amid a recruitment crisis that is threatening to engulf the Armed Forces.

Reservists are civilians who train and serve alongside regular forces and would be called upon in the event of war.

Earlier this year, General Sir Patrick Sanders, the head of the Army, warned that if the UK went to war with Russia the Government would have to call up members of the public because the size of its military, including reservists, is too small.

The data, unearthed by Labour, found that although nearly 27,000 people applied to join the Reserves across all three forces last year, only 3,180 – just under 12 per cent – were recruited.

In 2022, of the almost 24,000 people who applied to join the reserves, just 3,580 were taken on.

General Sir Patrick Sanders, head of British Army, says in the event of a war members of the public would have to be called up – Eddie Mulholland

Overall, almost 270,000 people who applied to be reservists in the last decade did not join up.

John Healey, the shadow defence secretary, said that the figures were another example of “total failure” in Armed Forces recruitment by the Conservatives.

The Ministry of Defence has admitted the Army Reserve has also missed its recruitment targets every year in the past decade, with 12,000 fewer Reserve personnel recruited.

Potential recruits have long raised issues with the time it takes to join the Armed Forces and ministers have been unable to tell Parliament how long it takes on average to process an application.

Since 2019, the deficit between recruitment targets and intake has quadrupled from 300 personnel short to over 1,400.

It comes after it was revealed last month that more than 800,000 applicants to join the full-time Armed Forces voluntarily withdrew their applications in the past decade.

The US, the UK’s closest ally, has a large reserve force and depends on its National Guard, which stands at nearly half a million.

Meanwhile, Israel’s quick response to the Hamas Oct 7 attacks was largely possible due to a reserve force of 465,000, in a country of 9.5 million people.

Mr Healey told The Telegraph: “Over the last decade, eight in 10 of those who want to serve have not signed up.

“These figures expose the latest example of the Government’s total failure in Armed Forces recruitment.

“The current Armed Forces recruitment crisis has been created by 14 years of Conservative failure on defence – with ministers missing their own recruitment targets every year, hollowing out our Armed Forces and cutting the British Army to its smallest size since Napoleon.

“Labour will ensure Britain is better defended. In government, we will overhaul military recruitment, tackle the shameful state of military housing and establish an Armed Forces commissioner as a strong independent voice to improve service life for our forces and their families.”

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “The Armed Forces are committed to attracting, retaining and developing the best talent from the broadest diversity of experience, skills and background needed to maintain operational effectiveness. Increasing recruitment and improving retention across the services is a top priority.

“To address recruitment, a range of options are being actioned to increase the inflow into both Regular and Reserve Armed Forces recruitment pipelines.”

Play The Telegraph’s brilliant range of Puzzles – and feel brighter every day. Train your brain and boost your mood with PlusWord, the Mini Crossword, the fearsome Killer Sudoku and even the classic Cryptic Crossword.