Combat Arms

HC Deb 06 December 2001 vol 376 cc454-5W

Patrick Mercer

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on undermanning in the Army's combat arms. [20631]

Mr. Ingram

Combat arms are those which are trained and equipped to be in contact with the enemy and those who provide direct offensive and combat support. Manning in these arms as at 1 November is given in the table.

The Army remains committed to achieving full manning by around 2005. We have always said that returning the Army to full manning would be a long haul and recognise that this represents a significant challenge. It requires a three pronged approach; maximising recruitment while reducing wastage during training and improving the return of service of trained personnel. The package of measures we have introduced has already delivered some benefits with improvements in retention and we are pursuing a number of recruitment initiatives at regional and national level.