Recruitment and retention are at crisis point

Defence UK is concerned about the state of armed forces recruitment and encourages the government to investigate, and take action, as a matter of urgency.

Personnel numbers in all three services are below the targets set in the 2010 Defence Review, which were themselves too low to sustain the required level of defence.
Some suggested reasons for this include:
  • The competence of the private firm running the recruitment process.
  • Some elements of pay and conditions are below par.
  • The military’s own outdated rules and regulations for civilians joining the armed forces, which leads to the protracted time it take for someone to join
  • Lack of defence related matters in the public arena so that young people do not generally have an affinity to serve Queen and Country.
  • Too much emphasis is placed on the dangers of service.
  • It is even suggested that some senior officers are leaving early due to the pension restrictions affecting higher earners.​
  • ​We know that the military has seen historic cuts in numbers, job satisfaction has fallen and benefits have been slashed.
  • We also know that recruitment within the services was 24% less than target in 2016-17. In addition, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has spent £664 million on recruitment in the past five years.

introducing "defence uk"

Defence UK was formed in 2007 as the United Kingdom National Defence Association (UKNDA) to make the case for increased investment in defence, at a time when the UK’s armed forces – then engaged in two major conflicts – were chronically underfunded and overstretched. Led by founder-CEO Cdr John Muxworthy RN, a veteran of the 1982 Falklands conflict, and founder-President Winston S. Churchill, grandson of Britain’s great wartime leader, the UKNDA set about building a nationwide association to provide an effective and independent voice for the nation’s military, veterans and the wider defence community. By holding conferences and public events, publishing a series of reports and commentaries, lobbying MPs, writing articles and broadcasting, the UKNDA has kept up a constant pressure on those in power, opposing defence cuts and highlighting threats to national security. 

Now, in 2019, the UK’s forces are no longer committed to extended military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, but there are still numerous threats to national and international security, from a range of terrorist networks and rogue states, leaving our borders, shipping, energy supply and trade routes all at risk. Despite this, there are glaring holes in our nation’s military capabilities, and our armed services are seriously depleted by ill-conceived cuts to the defence budget, leaving the UK increasingly vulnerable in a dangerous world. Defence funding has been a victim of political short-termism and the austerity agenda. There is an urgent need to bring renewed pressure to bear on the UK government and parliament, to significantly boost resourcing for the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force. In particular, we argue for an increase in the defence budget to at least 3% of UK GDP. 

Our association, under its new name Defence UK, will continue to campaign vigorously on behalf of Britain’s armed forces, providing serving and retired military personnel with an effective voice for strong national defence.​
Your support for Defence UK is more vital than ever. 

Our only income comes from membership subscriptions and donations.

Click here for details.


MISSION STATEMENT:

“Defence UK is an independent pressure group that campaigns for a strong and well-resourced Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, to ensure the security of the United Kingdom, her Sovereign Territories, trade and commerce, and to protect her citizens wherever they may be. We also call for a greater commitment by the UK Government to the nation's defence industries, and to non-military services such as the Merchant Navy, Coastguard, Border Control and Homeland Security that are essential to the Defence of the Realm.”
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