Figures show Royal Navy not meeting recruitment targets

By Lucy Ashton

Over the past thirteen years, the gap between recruitment targets and actual intake in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines has increased significantly, reports the UK Defence Journal.

While there were years of near-perfect alignment with the goals and actual intake, the overall trend points towards a widening gap between the recruitment goals and the actual number of recruits.

This shortfall has been more pronounced in the Royal Marines compared to the Royal Navy, however.

The Royal Navy’s recruitment story is somewhat different. Initially, the shortfall in recruitment was negligible, with actual intake figures closely mirroring the set targets.

However, from 2016 onwards, just like with the Royal Marines, there was a noticeable increase in the shortfall, peaking in 2023 with a 26.94% gap.

While the Royal Navy has generally fared better than the Royal Marines, both forces have seen an increase in recruitment shortfalls over the years.

Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, said:  “The Conservatives have failed in defence for 14 years, not once meeting their recruiting targets for our Royal Marines and Royal Navy. This is further evidence of the growing Tory ‘crisis’ in Armed Forces recruitment and fuels fears about our ability to fulfil our NATO obligations in full. The Conservatives have corroded the nation’s moral contract with those who serve. Personnel are living in damp and mouldy housing, satisfaction with service life has fallen to almost 40%, and more people are leaving than joining our Armed Forces. In Government, Labour would renew the country’s commitment those who serve; by fully incorporate the Armed Forces Covenant into law, tackling the shameful state of military housing and legislating for an Armed Forces Commissioner.”