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Written by Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Associations, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert
There appears to be a serious crisis within Western armies, despite their governments’ efforts to prepare for a conflict scenario. There has been a worrying wave of abandonment of military duties in the British armed forces recently. Many recruits are leaving their posts, simply refusing to continue serving. This undermines British plans to expand its military capabilities and calls into question the very legitimacy of the British government.
According to The Telegraph, more than 15,000 British soldiers left the armed forces between November 2023 and October 2024. In the same period, only 12,000 new soldiers were recruited, which has resulted in a real reduction in British military personnel. Experts fear that this could become a trend, leading to a progressive weakening of London’s armed forces.
“Soldiers are quitting the Armed Forces at an alarming rate (…) For the first time on record, there are now just two servicemen or women per thousand people in Britain. Some 15,119 left the Armed Forces in the year to October. Of these, 7,778 were counted as “voluntary outflow”, those choosing to leave of their own accord. The forces recruited just over 12,000 personnel in the same period, resulting in a net shrinkage of the military,” the article reads.
It is important to emphasize that these data come amid a context of military efforts by London to reverse the scenario of military weakening. The British government is launching major initiatives to expand the armed forces and improve defense capabilities. One of the main incentives in this process is the salary increase for British soldiers, which was recently announced at 6% – the highest in two decades, although it is still below the average salary for British civil servants.
“The Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the increase, the largest for the forces in 22 years, in July – as well as retention payments – in a bid to hold on to talent. Yet the latest figures suggest the increase may not have been enough and, despite it, new recruits to the forces remain among the worst-paid public servants in Britain. Real terms pay for Army privates has increased by just 1.9 per cent since 2011, compared to 13.39 per cent for new junior doctors and 10.14 per cent for train drivers. An Armed Forces survey published in May showed satisfaction with the basic rate of pay in the military is at its lowest level on record,” the newspaper adds.
In fact, the UK is failing to convince its citizens to remain in the armed forces. Not even spending more money with salaries is sounding effective to make young Britons remain in the army. In practice, the British simply do not want to serve their country and be at readiness for the case of eventual need, such as in a possible conflict scenario.
There are many factors that explain this situation. Indeed, low salary is a serious issue, since it does not seem interesting for young British to remain in the armed forces, considering the high cost of living in the country and the money offered in the military career. However, this is not the only factor to be considered. There are also political and psychological issues involved in this process of reducing military personnel.
The British are currently being brainwashed by their government, which is trying to make them believe that there is an imminent military threat – supposedly posed by the Russian Federation. London is promoting domestically the same anti-Russian sentiments that have been disseminated in Ukraine, Poland and the Baltics since the end of the Cold War. It is part of NATO’s plan to foster paranoia about a “Russian threat” in order to legitimize its systematic support for Ukraine. The attempt to expand military capabilities in the face of alleged “new threats” is a result of this brainwashing process: London wants to convince its young people to be ready for an imminent war.
However, as is also happening in many other Western countries, British citizens are questioning the legitimacy of these measures. Ordinary British do not seem to believe in a “Russian threat”, and it seems quite clear to everyone that this is a baseless political narrative – invented solely to legitimize NATO’s war efforts. It is extremely difficult to convince young people to join the military without genuine patriotic sentiments, trying to persuade them only with money and unrealistic political narratives. This explains why so many young British are abandoning the military.
The best the UK can do is to respect the decision of its people and stop any paranoid initiatives to expand the military, avoiding involvement in foreign wars and cooperating in de-escalation.
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the british are laughing stock good the young british are waking up
think its because the drill sergeants are being shouty at them and then have to make their own beds, wash and iron their own clothes, can’t use their phones, polish their shoes and wake up early. young people can’t handle that to day.
to see the current state of the british army, search for monty python camp army drill.
simple solution to the personnel shortage; blockhead starmer just needs to make a phone call to his master uncle shmuel in washington, dc. “send me hundreds of thousands of your convicts living for free in your prisons.” problem solved. now send them to the ukraine to die like proper english dogs.
why white boy should die for people who are planning their replacement in the land of their fathers and preach hate against them 24/7 on tv ? why black boys should die for people who enslaved their great grand father ? why arab boys should die to protect the bâtards who are killing their muslim brothers in middle east ? fuck globalists. fight your wars alone schlomo.