Army's annual cost of employing infantry soldier increases four years in a row
The annual cost to the British Army of employing an infantry soldier has risen by more than £5,000 since 2017.
Leo Docherty, Minister for Defence People and Veterans, provided the cost breakdown following a written question from Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey.
In his response, Mr Doherty said the cost of employing an infantry soldier in March 2021 was £47,352, compared to £41,673 in 2017 – an increase of £5,679.
The biggest increase came between 2019 and 2020, with the yearly cost jumping from £42,698 to £46,232.
The statistics were the average cost of employing one soldier – including basic pay, national insurance and pension – and did not take into account any costs associated with recruitment, training, clothing, stock consumption or medical and dental care.
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