The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the British Army is aiming to receive approximately 198,000 applications across all recruitment streams during the 2025–26 financial year, as part of renewed efforts to address long-standing challenges in personnel recruitment and retention.
In a written response published on 30 April 2025, Defence Minister Luke Pollard stated: “The Army’s target for applications for all streams (Regular soldier, Regular Officer, Army Reserve soldier and Officer) for Recruiting Year 2025–26 is 198,000 (rounded).”
The update follows the Minister’s earlier remarks on 7 April regarding ongoing reform across the Armed Forces recruitment pipeline. Pollard reiterated that the current Government had “inherited a crisis in recruitment and retention” and has taken steps since July 2024 to stabilise and improve the process.
While the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force do not set formal volume targets for applications, Pollard clarified that both Services closely monitor recruitment performance through alternative indicators. These include attendance at suitability assessments and performance against intake targets.
The RAF, in particular, tracks marketing effectiveness using a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for Expressions of Interest, which is used to assess the performance of its recruitment contractors.
“This data is used to hold each Service to account and to forecast progress using known assessment pass rates and overall conversion rate,” Pollard added.
The figures come at a time when the UK Armed Forces face increased scrutiny over personnel shortfalls, particularly in the Army, which has seen reduced strength and intake rates in recent years.
The Government has pledged to reform the recruitment system, streamline processes, and increase efficiency through the creation of a new Armed Forces Recruitment Service.
Ok, how many will the accept and get to training, that is the real number. Many apply but wait for ever to get to training which means many give up. That is bit that needs fixing. So really a statement not addressing that at all. That is the bit that fails not getting people to apply its getting people through to training.
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The article explains that’s exactly what they want to address. Speeding up the whole recruiting process.
198,000 applications…and I’m the next British astronaut. Where do these incredible figures come from?
Applicants to Regular Army from Sep 2023 to Sep 2024 were at 170,380.
Applicants to Volunteer Reserve for same period were at 29,800.
This includes Commonwealth applications (which are a good chunk).
Those giving numbers switch between fiscal, calendar and other 12-month periods at will. It in no way reflects an increase in targets and unless everything else is fixed it will still leave us bleeding hundreds of personnel a month.
I’m amazed Ged. Thanks for the numbers. I think we actually recruited about 11/12,000 last year? Do you have any figures for what happened to the rest.? They couldn’t all have been unsuitable surely.
The report I found is “Quarterly service personnel statistics: 1 January 2025”. It lists reasons there but not in great detail. Medical, Unable to obtain clearance, withdrawals etc.
One thing I noticed on a second readthrough, it counts duplicate applications in the numbers. The kinds of duplicates you’d get if you aren’t providing the candidates feedback for months on end…
It also plays with the commonwealth applicants a bit saying 50k-ish applying for Other Ranks (this is limited to less than 1350 total allowed from an article on here). So, they’ve opened up and left running the website to CW applicants knowing they’ll meet numbers in the first month. Almost like a padding exercise.
Effectively tens of thousands of applications are about worthless (regardless of applicant suitability) despite being included in raw numbers.
Are they open to receive commonwealth applications?
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Thanks. I’ll see what I can find.
The military have bowed down to the woke bureaucracy and tried to attract too many minorities to be inclusive instead of just hiring the best candidates.
What a load of daily express /mail nonsense. However as successful recruitment levels are a serious issue, I’m all for modernising the military to be aligned with today’s society, if that means the roles are filled and the country is protected. Who cares how woke (what does that actually mean) someone thinks they are, if they are able and willing to fight for their country.
I’m sure we’d all be acceptan of that , however Im not sure the selection process actually does that.
Then it needs modernising. It took ages for the military to be accepting of woman and yet they proved themselves well before, in the likes of ww2, not so much in combat roles for the UK but plenty of other nations such as the french resistance. Diversity and what the papers call woke, is becoming the normal way of life for the youth of today, who are the heros of tomorrows army.
What a crock of shit this is Steve, sorry.
Last time I checked the Ghurkas were a minority group. Do you really want to tell them they are not the best candidates considering the selection process. I sure as hell wouldn’t.
Does the selection process for.that minority group also have to adhere to the same diversity rules as other represented groups…or is the fact they are Gurkhas in itself meet the diversity criteria?
Yes, the Gurkhas now have to have the selection process open to all Nepali ethnicities, before it was strictly limited to Limbu, Gurung, Rai and Magar tribes.
I’ll flip that and ask is the Gurkhas-Other Ranks open to British people?
Why would we need British people taking up posts in Gurkha units, beyond Officer positions, which I believe are often filled by Brits?
The rest of the Army is available!
Because BigH is asking a Rhetorical Question?
Rubbish. Straight White Men are still by far the vast majority of the Army. My current sub-unit has 3 Women, 2 non-white men, and I think one openly bi person. The rest? All straight White Men.
Can’t work. Nobody will fight for starmer and the kids are not swallowing the propaganda like their parents did after 911.
The reserves cannot be expanded as all the centres have been sold off, they cut them back so far they have lost trickle up and trickle down capabilities.
Unless they can literally walk in on Monday and be starting cadre on Friday will they catch and keep recruits.
Too complicated for no apparent gain.
What happened in 911?
I think the Vikings raided Exeter.
That should be a satire, the onion style, right.
They can’t get 10K , therefore, let’s try to get 200K
They get 150k+ applications each year, but only ~10k make it through the whole process. Most don’t meet eligibility criteria (which some would claim are too strict), whilst others withdraw / give up due to the long waits.
What so only 7% actually get through? That’s sounds more like an underlying issue with the selction criteria tbh.
Exactly
What sort of ‘wastage’ is involved, how many of the nearly 200,000 will actually start training? Do we have the housing and equipment for them? Could we resupply them in the field in the event of conflict?
It isn’t just the manpower but the tools and resources to do the job that is also lacking.
Would they ever increase the joining age. They might get veterans to enlist.
Current trying to join MPGS but on verge of giving up as the vetting links refuse to work…..the vetting staff insist it’s my fault (apparently I don’t know my own name and DoB after more than 40 years)
Unfortunately, as the war in Ukraine has shown us, it’s all about the numbers.
You can have xxxx amount of tanks, aircraft, ships, military vehicles etc but it all comes down to enough human beings to use them.