21 January 2023 , 18:59
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Our armed forces are battling a shortfall of 4,000 troops after one of the worst years for people marching out.
More than 16,000 left last year – a six-year high. And only 12,000 joined, 5,000 fewer than in 2021.
The losses follow growing complaints about pay and the shoddy standard of service housing.
And they come despite the Ministry of Defence spending more than £70million on recruitment campaigns between 2019 and 2021. These include the Snow Flake campaign to show the forces look beyond stereotype warriors. An MoD survey in May revealed most quitting troops blamed “impact on family and personal life”.
It also found housing was “well below levels reported in 2015”.
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A poster from the MoD's latest recruitment campaign (PA)One soldier with 12 years’ service living in married quarters in Aldershot, Hants, told us he was quitting to save his relationship. He said: “The boiler hasn’t worked properly for weeks.
“We have mould, damp, ceiling leaks. My kids are suffering. My wife has said either I leave the Army or she’ll leave me. I don’t blame her.”
MoD figures show thousands of maintenance callouts over damp and mould in the past eight months.
More than 1,300 properties were out of use last year due to the same issues. In 2020 that figure was just 800.
Almost 2,700 service families called an emergency hotline to complain about damp and mould between April and December last year.
Only 12,000 people were recruited to the armed forces last year (In Pictures via Getty Images)Then there are pay gripes. Troops will get a 3.75% rise in April – nowhere near inflation.
Lowest-paid trained soldiers are on just £16,500 for a recruit.
The situation in the reserves is even worse despite the Tories vowing to build up numbers.
Only 3,720 people joined last year, down 34%, while about 6,000 left, a rise of 6%. Since the Territorial Army was renamed the Army Reserve in 2014, no recruitment targets have been met. It now has 25,000 troops, 5,000 short.
Colonel Philip Ingram, a former intelligence officer warned: “The military is wasting millions recruiting while failing to fix the basic things putting potential recruits off.”
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An MoD spokesperson said: “Following an increase in recruiting during the Covid pandemic, Armed Forces recruiting numbers have returned to pre-pandemic levels and are sufficient for Defence to meet its operational requirements.
“A number of measures have been introduced to support our personnel, including wraparound childcare, freezing daily food charges, and ensuring council tax rebates reach those in military accommodation.”