【By Observer Net, Xiong Chaoran】As the ruling party in the UK, despite the Labour Party's "conscription campaign," the armed forces have only increased by 240 personnel over the past year. This means that the Labour Party is struggling to fulfill its commitment to increase the number of troops, with the number of fully trained personnel at a record low in 200 years.

According to the UK's Daily Telegraph, on November 27 local time, the latest data released showed that the UK currently has 137,100 full-time military personnel (i.e., standing army), compared to 136,860 in October last year.

The Army has 74,270 personnel, but only 70,300 of them have completed professional training and are ready for combat, which is more than 1,000 fewer than in October 2024. The Army currently has 11,900 fully trained officers, down from 12,000 last year; non-commissioned soldiers amount to 58,400, a decrease of 950 compared to 12 months ago.

The Labour Party had pledged to raise the number of full-time soldiers to 76,000 after 2029, but efforts to strengthen the Army remain difficult, and these data have intensified concerns about the UK's unpreparedness for war.

Retired Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, who served in the military for 23 years, said that the UK is still far from having the military strength needed to "deter" Russian forces. He complained, "The fact is, everything has been cut to the limit. All healthy and working personnel in the military are working hard. We are facing a very serious problem... the situation is terrible. The government's figure of 76,000 is crazy, it should be far higher. The Labour Party spent a lot of money on welfare, but not on the military."

British Army Size Trend from 1700 to 2025, The Daily Telegraph

According to the report, after completing basic training, soldiers enter the second stage of training, known as "professional skills training," where they learn specialized military skills related to their positions.

In addition to the Army, the number of personnel undergoing professional skills training in the Navy and Air Force also slightly declined, reaching 27,820 and 27,560 respectively. The total number of regular navy personnel is 32,160, and the air force is 30,670.

Last year, the UK government launched a retention program for 17,000 personnel. Previously, poor barracks living conditions and cumbersome conscription procedures were considered reasons for early retirement of soldiers.

Under this program, aircraft engineers who sign three-year contracts can receive a £30,000 bonus; privates and corporals who sign four-year contracts can get an £8,000 bonus.

Additionally, the Army abolished a century-old ban on growing beards, seen as a measure to attract more young recruits. This year, the government also offered a salary increase of 3.25% to 4.5%, hoping to persuade soldiers to stay.

But in fact, even more generous salary increases failed to stop the loss of personnel. In October 2023, the UK military was allowed a 6% pay raise, but in the following year, 15,119 people still left the armed forces.

UK defense department sources insisted that the military is "on the right path" to reverse the trend of reducing the number of troops. For example, since 2021, there has been a situation where more people have enlisted than left, and the size of the navy and air force has slightly increased.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the last time the British Army was smaller than now was in 1803, just before the Napoleonic Wars, when the standing force was 67,000. A defense source still tried to justify it, saying, "The number of full-time professional personnel in the Army has decreased, but the overall number of the Army has increased."

On November 8, 2025, in London, UK, the first "Female Mayor Parade" took place in the City of London. Members of the 4th Parachute Battalion, a reserve unit of the Parachute Regiment, prepared equipment and tools before the parade. Visual China

A week before the release of this military personnel data, a report by the UK House of Commons Defence Committee warned that the UK is not yet prepared to deal with attacks.

This report both exaggerated the so-called "China and Russia threat" and criticized the government's actions as "extremely slow," claiming that the UK has not fulfilled its NATO obligation to maintain the capability to resist armed attacks.

On November 26 local time, in the autumn budget, UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a significant increase in UK welfare spending, experts believe this will cost taxpayers £1.6 billion.

At the same time, Reeves also revealed that taxes would increase by £2.6 billion, but she did not announce additional funding for defense.

According to reports, the UK Ministry of Defence has a £200 million shortfall in the 2025-2026 fiscal year budget, which may need to be filled by cutting expenses, but it is currently unclear which projects will be cut, and some insiders have expressed concern about potential military projects at risk of cancellation.

Earlier this year, UK Prime Minister Starmer announced that defense spending would increase from 2.3% of GDP to 2.5% by 2027. This summer, Starmer also made relatively relaxed commitments in the strategic defense assessment report, stating that the goal is to reach 3% in the early 2030s and 3.5% by 2035. However, the opposition Conservative Party warned that this target is unachievable.

According to AFP and France 24, on November 27 local time, French President Macron announced that due to the increasing threat from Russia and the risk of new conflicts in Europe, France will resume the volunteer conscription system next summer.

The UK ended its compulsory conscription in December 1960. Currently, the UK government has ruled out the possibility of imitating Macron to reintroduce conscription. A spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Defence said, "This government has no plans to introduce conscription in the UK. We believe the best way to defend the country is through a professional armed force composed of volunteers who choose to serve."

This article is exclusive to Observer Net, and any reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7578357293184533034/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author and readers are welcome to express their opinions by clicking the [Up/Down] buttons below.