Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the latest average time was between first inquiry and subsequent enlistment for candidates wishing to serve in the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) British Army.
The requested information is as follows:
Royal Navy | Army | Royal Air Force |
373 days | 344 days | 456 days |
Notes/Caveats:
- Averages have been calculated using data from 1 January–31 December 2021 and have been calculated using the mean.
- The Services do not routinely or uniformly record the date of first enquiry, and each has a different set of intake pathways. Representative calculations have necessarily been made therefore using the following parameters:
- Royal Navy (both Royal Navy/Royal Marines): time taken from application to joining. - Army: time taken from application to the start of basic training. - Royal Air Force: time taken from application to receipt of both offer of service and phase one training course date.
- There are several variables that may impact the time it takes to progress through the recruitment pipeline, including but are not limited to, timely individual participation in the recruitment process, medical/fitness issues, aptitude testing success, and availability of training places.