Recommendation 6

The Department does not know whether a recent improvement in recruitment and retention is a result of changes it has made, or whether it can sustain these improved trends. After many difficult years for both recruitment and retention, the latest public statistics for the year to October 2025 point to a corner being turned, with the number of people joining the Armed Forces exceeding the number leaving. The average time between someone applying to join and them starting basic training reduced from 496 in 2023 to 290 days in 2024, and from August 2025 to March 2026 50,816 applicants had received a provisional decision within 10 days of applying and 19,428 had received a date for starting training within 30 days. Faster processing of applications has been helped by the introduction of a new electronic system for doctors to provide a candidate’s medical records, and initiatives such as the new direct entry cyber pathway indicate the Department’s willingness to try new approaches to recruitment. Initiatives to help retention include a new housing strategy, wraparound childcare and improved pay. The Department has not, however, analysed the cause and effect of its initiatives, despite being keen to understand 6 which measures are having what effects. This insight would help the Department ensure that it can attract people with the skillsets the Armed Forces need into a military career. recommendation The Department should: a. Develop robust evidence about what factors affect the inflow and outflow of Armed Forces personnel and ensure that it closely monitors these factors. b. Identify which initiatives to improve recruitment and retention are particularly cost-effective and ensure that these are applied more widely. 7 1 Scrutiny of the Ministry of Defence Introduction