Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the size of the (a) Regular Army, (b) RAF, (c) Royal Navy, (d) Royal Marines (e) Army Reserve, (f) RAF Reserve, (g) Royal Navy Reserve and (h) Royal Marines Reserve in 2029.

The Government is taking decisive action to tackle the long-term decline in Armed Forces numbers and renew the nation’s contract with those who serve, having inherited a recruitment and retention crisis - with targets missed every year for the past fourteen years.

The purpose of the SDR is three-fold. We will establish the roles, capabilities and reforms required by UK Defence to meet the challenges, threats, and opportunities of the twenty-first century. The Reviewers will consider all aspects of Defence, including the approach to recruiting, educating, training and retaining the people needed for One Defence, including Regular, Reserve, Civil Service and industry. This is to include how Service life can be improved for those who commit to serve their country in uniform.