§ 26. Mr. Chapmanasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current strength of the Armed Forces; and what changes he expects in the relative numbers in the different Services in the future.
§ Mr. Blaker:The strength of the Armed Forces on 31 December 1981 was 331,573, excluding locally entered personnel and reserves. Of this total the strength of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines was 74,041, of the Army 165,682, and of the Royal Air Force 91,850. This is 2,773 fewer than at June 1981; and the numbers in the Services will continue to fall in line with the reductions of 8,000–10,000 in the Royal Navy, 7,000 in the Army, and 2,500 in the Royal Air Force announced in Cmnd. 8288 to take place by 1986.