The Ministry of Defence is reviewing medical entry standards for the British Army as part of broader efforts to address what ministers have described as a recruitment crisis inherited from the previous government.
Responding to a written parliamentary question from Labour MP Simon Opher, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the government is committed to rebuilding the Army’s recruitment pipeline, citing changes already made to pay and entry requirements.
“This Government inherited a recruitment crisis, with targets being missed every year for the past 14 years, and is taking decisive action to get recruitment back on track,” Pollard said. “This has included the largest pay rise to personnel in decades and scrapping 100 outdated policies that slow recruitment down.”
Medical standards for entry are governed by Joint Service Publication (JSP) 950 Leaflet 6-7-7, which was updated in August 2024. According to Pollard, the revisions followed an intensive review led by clinical experts, Defence personnel staff and recruiting agencies.
The updated guidance includes revised criteria for conditions such as asthma and eczema, and introduces new flexibility for candidates with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), who may now be considered eligible provided they meet certain thresholds.
“Defence is committed to a diverse workforce and is seeking to ‘select in’ rather than ‘select out,’” Pollard added. “Recent updates to policy include new regulations for a range of conditions including asthma and eczema, and candidates with Autism Spectrum Disorder may now be able to join the Armed Forces providing they meet certain criteria.”
The review of medical entry rules is part of a broader strategy to modernise the Armed Forces and remove barriers to service. The Ministry has also committed to further reforms through its Defence People Strategy, which will feed into the ongoing Defence Investment Plan.
ASD in British Schools is rampant. To be fair it is not really so much a medical condition as the way the brain functions.
Many potential kids may well benefit and thrive in the military whilst others may struggle.
In the years gone by a large number of people will have gone through the military with what is now recognised as ASD.
Personally I think the structure and discipline may well help.
I also bet there are many more conditions which are managed well with medications that mean that they should no longer be excluded.
Trouble with medications people forget to take them and they run out! Not many pharmacies in the middle of nowhere.
A blanket no to ASD always seemed silly to me. Turns out after I left I got diagnosed with it, I thrived under the rules based order, and it was only physical sporting injuries that finished me.
I bet there’s loads of technical and engineering types who are on the wrong end of the spectrum that would actually fit in quite well.
Plenty of soldiers function with ASD (me for starters), simply because they didn’t get the opportunity to get it diagnosed. Definitely one of the outdated rules that needs to be adjusted, especially as it’s (like the name suggest) a spectrum that ranges from “Barely noticeable and had been adapted to by the individual” to “Struggles to function at all as an adult.”