Army still on downwards trajectory when it comes to personnel leaving, CDS says

The Army is still on a "downwards trajectory" when it comes to the number of personnel leaving the Armed Forces, the Chief of the Defence Staff has said.

Overall, the Armed Forces are getting smaller each month by around 200-300 people, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said.

He also said the Navy has "stabilised" and is starting to "get bigger", while the RAF is "reasonably stabilised".

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Recruitment and retention issues aren't new for the MOD and have been a headache for a long time.

Later this year, the Government is set to reveal its new housing strategy, but before the details are released for personnel, hundreds are continuing to leave each month.

Admiral Sir Tony, who was giving an update to MPs on the current state of play regarding personnel numbers, told them retention was still a problem.

He said things would improve over the next two to three years and a number of changes will help make a difference.

The CDS pointed to the fact that 13 people are applying for every place, and spoke about an effort to turn applications into recruits while doing so without reducing quality or competitiveness.

Meanwhile, the Defence Select Committee was also told that the number of complaints about service accommodation, a key element of the MOD's employment offer, has reduced dramatically.

The issue influences decisions to remain or leave the services, with complaints dropping from 4,000 to under 330 complaints in the last 12 months.