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.

Royal Marines Recruitment Shortfall

Year Ending	Recruitment Target	Actual Intake	Shortfall (%)
31-Mar-11	1218	1217	0.08
31-Mar-12	758	752	0.79
31-Mar-13	1233	1125	8.76
31-Mar-14	1159	1030	11.13
31-Mar-15	883	757	14.27
31-Mar-16	995	805	19.10
31-Mar-17	936	734	21.58
31-Mar-18	983	758	22.89
31-Mar-19	1171	778	33.56
31-Mar-20	1173	926	21.05
31-Mar-21	1233	1050	14.84
31-Mar-22	1389	1096	21.10
31-Mar-23	1096	796	27.37

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.

Royal Navy Recruitment Shortfall

 

Year Ending	Recruitment Target	Actual Intake	Shortfall (%)
31-Mar-11	1332	1331	0.08
31-Mar-12	1472	1464	0.54
31-Mar-13	1692	1642	2.96
31-Mar-14	2274	2144	5.71
31-Mar-15	2377	2176	8.46
31-Mar-16	2576	2192	14.91
31-Mar-17	2779	2311	16.83
31-Mar-18	2843	2284	19.64
31-Mar-19	3043	2365	22.29
31-Mar-20	3009	2637	12.35
31-Mar-21	3176	2925	7.90
31-Mar-22	2963	2494	15.84
31-Mar-23	2738	2001	26.94

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.”