The Telegraph has revealed that a major £1.4 billion recruitment program for three military personnel has been postponed again, deepening the staffing crisis engulfing the military.
Presented by the Ministry of Defence as a ‘recruitment solution’, the Armed Forces Recruitment Program (AFRP) was designed to provide a single plan for the Royal Navy, Royal Army and Royal Air Force.
Currently, the Navy and Air Force conduct their own recruitment efforts, but the Army’s recruitment efforts are outsourced to Capita.
At the start of the decade, the Ministry of Defense said all three services were “considering transforming their recruitment practices over the next two to five years”, with a planned launch date of April 2025, but already It has been postponed from the previous year.
However, in response to a written parliamentary question from Shadow Defense Secretary John Healy, Defense Minister Andrew Mallison confirmed that the project would not be delivered next year and that Capita’s contract had been extended until 2026.
“In June 2023, the Army signed a Recruitment Partnership Project (RPP) contract extension with Capita for an additional two years through March 2026, including an additional three-year contract extension if needed,” he said. It includes the option to do so.”
“In September 2023, the Army began discussions with Capita to establish an option for a third-year contract extension to close the gap until Army recruiting begins in 2027.”
A senior defense source told the Telegraph that Mr Capita is “doing everything” in hopes of being selected as the recruiter to run AFRP. They added, “Capita really stepped up to the plate.”
recruitment crisis
Earlier this month, Capita gave evidence before the Commons Defense Select Committee, revealing it had only recruited 5,000 of the 9,813 people it was ordered to recruit this year.
This comes after recent official government figures showed Army intake fell by almost 15% in the 12 months to March.
The conscription crisis is affecting all services, with the Telegraph revealing that the Navy is now so short on sailors that it has had to retire two warships to staff new frigates.
Dr. Mallison told Congress in January that the military was facing a “crisis” in recruitment, with the latest Department of Defense statistics showing that 5,800 more people left than joined last year. There is.
Mr Healey said: “The Conservative Party has failed our defense for 14 years, missing recruitment targets every year.
“The Conservative Party has corrupted the nation’s moral contract with the people it serves. Staff live in damp and moldy housing, work life satisfaction has fallen to almost 40 per cent, More people leave the military than join.”
Former Armed Forces Minister Marc Francois said: “Einstein’s definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” It’s the same thing we would do if we extended it to the military.”
A MoD spokesperson said: “As reflected in the Haythornthwaite review and the publication of Defense Command documents, we are committed to increasing recruitment and improving retention rates ahead of the Armed Forces Recruitment Program being introduced in 2027. We continue to focus on improving.”
“Investing in our people is critical and this is why we have funded numerous trials to increase recruitment and retention, delivered the largest pay increases in over 20 years, and committed to 40% to improve military accommodations. That is why we have committed to spending over £100 million.”
