Louise Sandher-Jones, Minister for the Armed Forces, has confirmed that several Army exercises have been fully or partially cancelled this financial year, without naming them, according to an answer given in Parliament.
Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative MP for Huntingdon, asked for a list by name of training exercises cancelled in this financial year.
Sandher-Jones said: “The UK continues to meet our NATO and wider operational commitments. Thousands of training exercises, of all sizes, will be conducted this year, across all branches of our Armed Forces. Training is routinely prioritised to ensure activity contributes most effectively to readiness and deployability.
“While we do not routinely publish complete lists of training activity which is or is not taking place, I can confirm that to date several Army exercises have fully or partially been cancelled for this financial year. The Army continues to prioritise essential training to protect its operational commitments.”
The Times reported in September that major exercises involving 90 or more soldiers had been suspended under plans to save £30 million, and Sky News reported that units preparing to deploy, those in a major NATO exercise next year and those in quick-reaction or standby roles were not affected, while some reservists would receive fewer training days. Army Technology reported that a Royal Tank Regiment live-fire exercise in Wales was among those cancelled.
An Army spokesperson said at the time: “Our training continues and we are prioritising activity that contributes most directly to readiness”, and said the Army was “investing £2bn to transform training for the British Army over the next 15 years.” Separately, the Ministry of Defence said last December that Army overseas exercises would be reduced from the 2026-27 financial year, to focus on NATO commitments and land warfighting.
