British Army suspends basic training due to Covid-19

The British Army say they have suspended face-to-face recruiting and basic training operations.

According to a statement from the British Army.

“Due to the developing COVID 19 situation, and based on current Government advice, we have had to pause face-to-face recruiting and basic training operations.

These measures will not affect the British Army’s ability to support the Nation as required at this challenging time. Be reassured that the British Army is still recruiting, the process will continue ‘virtually’ and we are working on a different way to run our assessments which avoids bringing together large groups of candidates. Basic Training will begin again as soon as conditions allow.

All candidates, recruits and their families are being informed. We recognise how difficult and worrying this will be for all concerned. Any recruit in training who is affected will retain their place in training. Those who are due to start training will be given a new start date as soon as possible and all other candidates will be kept informed as the situation develops.”

The Defence Secretary also recently announced new measures to put service personnel and Reservists on standby to support public services in response to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The Ministry of Defence have confirmed that they plan to put an additional 10,000 military personnel at a higher readiness and place Reserves on standby to support public services as part of a new ‘COVID Support Force’, the Defence Secretary has announced.

“These measures are part of prudent contingency planning to respond in a timely way to any request from other governments departments or civil authorities for support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

So far, the military have assisted with repatriation flights from China and Japan. They are also providing specialist military planners to Local Resilience Forums who are providing support to public services, local authorities and emergency services in preparing their response to the COVID-19 outbreak.”

The Ministry of Defence have also announced further preparation to support public services if required:

• up to 10,000 personnel will be placed at a higher readiness, so they are able to assist with supporting public services. This is on top of the 10,000 already held at higher readiness.
• 150 military personnel will be trained to drive oxygen tankers in order to support the NHS if required. They will begin training on Monday.
• measures have been taken to enable the call out of Reservists, should they be required to join the response effort
• scientists from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) are supporting Public Health England’s effort to understand the virus and tackle the spread.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

“The men and women of our armed forces stand ready to protect Britain and her citizens from all threats, including COVID-19. The unique flexibility and dedication of the services means that we are able to provide assistance across the whole of society in this time of need. From me downwards the entirety of the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces are dedicated to getting the nation through this global pandemic.”

There are well-rehearsed mechanisms in place for the military to provide support to civil authorities in times of need. Most recently the military has been called on to support the government’s response to flooding, say the MoD.