Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Defence Command Paper published on 22 March 2022, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of reversing the objective set out in that paper of reducing the number of British Army personnel by 9500.
Answer
There are currently no plans to reverse the decision to reduce the regular Army to 73,000 by 2025.
The British Army will be more integrated and active, with a whole force of over 100,000 regulars and reservists, to address the current and future threats from across the globe. The Defence Secretary recently stated that, as the threat changes, we need to change with it. The Department therefore regularly looks at the balance of people, capability, and activity across the Armed Forces, in line with the threats and the available resources.