Thousands of people are withdrawing their applications to join the armed forces due to a six month long waiting list.
According to figures uncovered by John Healey, the shadow defence secretary, less than one in ten of the 137,000 people who applied to join the army, navy and RAF last year ended up serving.
Since 2014, 1.1 million people have applied to join the armed forces but just 132,000 people were signed by the Ministry of Defence.
The problem appears to be worse within the army which saw 70 per cent of potential recruits withdrawing their applications.
Thousands of people are withdrawing their applications to join the armed forces due to a six month long waiting list
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Military chiefs are becoming increasingly concerned about the UK’s ability to respond to global threats as the number of people leaving the forces soars past the hiring rate.
It comes after figures revealed that for every five people who joined the Armed Forces a total of eight are leaving.
In January, the Royal Navy had such a lack of sailors, it was been forced to decommission two warships in order to man its new frigates.
The latest figures suggest that young people do want to join the armed forces but are not prepared to wait months in order to do so.
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“Hundreds of thousands of people willing to serve and defend their country have simply given up on their ambitions, while ministers have failed to get to grips with the problems,” told The Times.
“The Conservatives have presided over 14 years of failure in defence — missing their recruitment targets every year, hollowing out our armed forces, and reducing the British Army to its smallest size since Napoleon.”
One Whitehall source claimed Defence Secretary Grant Shapps was already trying to improve the recruitment process and retention issues.
“The latest figures show a rise across the board in interest and applications and we need to do all we can to convert those,” the source said.
Military chiefs are becoming increasingly concerned about the UK’s ability to respond to global threats
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They added that Labour was “shouting from the sidelines without putting forward any plausible plan”.
Kevan Jones, who served as Defence Minister under Gordon Brown, has voiced concerns and called for a “radical revolution” in recruitment.
Speaking during a debate about defence spending, Kruger said: “The Public Accounts Committee, I understand, heard for every five people recruited to the armed services, eight are leaving.
“That is a national security crisis, it is not just a problem for recruitment, it is an absolutely profound security risk.”
Source Agencies
