Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's recruitment targets for each branch of the armed forces are for (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27.
The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2025 is clear that Defence must now meet the longstanding challenge of recruiting and retaining new generations with different requirements. We are committed to the vision that long-term success depends on reconnecting society with the Armed Forces and the purpose of Defence, and for recruitment the focus should be on speed, drastically shortening the period between applicants expressing interest and joining. We have already implemented conditional offers of employment in 10 days from a candidate’s application, and provisional training start dates in 30 days if they desire it.
To provide a response regarding the period 2025-26, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 7 April 2025 to Question 43215 to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge).
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-04-01/43215
We are currently engaged in planning activity to determine recruitment targets for 2026-27
From Full-Service Implementation in 2027, the previously announced Armed Forces Recruiting Service (AFRS) will deliver against annual recruitment targets and demand, which will be set by the three Services via the Command Recruiting Support Plan (CRSP). The CRSP is generated and approved in conjunction with the single Services, with AFRS containing a mechanism to adjust demand during each Recruiting Year.