More cash but not more people

Money can't buy soldiers

Military exercise Allied Spirit 25 held in Hohenfels

British soldiers of a gun battery attend the Allied Spirit 25 exercise in Hohenfels, Germany. | HANNIBAL HANSCHKE

Jason MoorePalma 14/03/2025 10:48

European nations are busy raising their defence budgets over fears that they could be left out in the cold by the Donald Trump administration. But money can’t fix everything. The biggest dilemma they face is recruitment. In Britain the problem is so serious that Royal Navy ships are being retired simply because they haven’t got a crew. The Royal Air Force has a severe shortage of pilots while many of the regiments of the British army are under strength.

It takes the RAF eight years to train a pilot so there is little possibility of a massive influx of new squadrons thanks to the increase in defence spending. So how do you convince young people that a career in the armed services is a good move?

Patriotism is no longer enough, the money is pretty average and you could face long periods away from home in places which you would not find in your average holiday brochure. Some European nations have been forced to introduce conscription, a move which is not even on the table in Britain.

Also, there is a danger that the additional cash will be wasted on poor kit which doesn’t work. Before the military goes out on a spending spree perhaps key questions need to be answered; have we got the people and does the kit really work?

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tranq tranquer | about 1 month ago

Hi Jason, I know the armed forces are a particular interest of yours, and mine too, especially the RAF. Why has the RAF got a chronic shortage of pilots ? Well the answer at least in part is due to the idiotic policy persued by Air Chief Marshalls Sir Michael Wigston and before him Sir Steven Hillier. I refer to Diversity, ie more black, more ethnic, more women. I have seen estimates that at least 150 white anglo males were forced, influenced, 'persuaded' not to join because of this policy. True not all would have been pilots but the numbers speak loud. Only now as the results of the policy become apparent have things got back to a semblance of normal, ie. recruitment by ability. This is just one more example of the insanity enveloping the UK, leaving us who view from afar to shake our heads and wonder - where will it all end ?

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