Armed Forces

Ministry of Defence written question – answered at on 8 November 2017.

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Photo of Andrew Bowie Andrew Bowie Conservative, West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) regular (i) soldiers, (ii) sailors and (iii) airmen and (b) reserve (A) soldiers, (B) sailors and (C) airmen, by medical category, there were for each year since 2010.

Photo of Tobias Ellwood Tobias Ellwood The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence

There are three Medical Deployability Standard (MDS) categories for the Armed Forces. Medically Fully Deployable (MFD) personnel are those medically fit for duty with no employment limitations. Medically Limited Deployable (MLD) personnel are medically fit for duty with minor employment limitations. MLD personnel may have a medical condition or functional limitation that prevents the meeting of all MFD requirements. Medically Not Deployable (MND) personnel are medically fit for duty with major employment limitations. MND personnel are not fit to deploy on Operations but may be deployable on UK based exercises.

The table below provides the number (n) and percentage of UK Regular Armed Forces in each MDS category, by Service as at 1 April for each year since 2010. These figures include full time trained and serving personnel against requirement. This was the deployable population.

All

MFD

MLD

MND

Unknown MDS

n

n

%

n

%

n

%

n

%

1 April 2010

All Services

177,897

143,253

81%

18,101

10%

13,615

8%

2,928

2%

Naval Service3

35,502

28,366

80%

1,843

5%

2,938

8%

2,355

7%

Army

102,261

80,546

79%

14,786

14%

6,736

7%

193

RAF

40,134

34,341

86%

1,472

4%

3,941

10%

380

1%

1 April 2011

All Services

176,816

143,278

81%

18,828

11%

13,800

8%

910

1%

Naval Service3

35,426

29,793

84%

1,995

6%

2,882

8%

756

2%

Army

101,303

79,092

78%

15,217

15%

6,952

7%

42

RAF

40,087

34,393

86%

1,616

4%

3,966

10%

112

1 April 2012

All Services

170,010

137,866

81%

17,666

11%

14,211

8%

267

Naval Service3

33,287

28,428

85%

1,786

5%

2,866

9%

207

1%

Army

98,598

76,781

78%

14,319

15%

7,480

8%

18

RAF

38,125

32,657

86%

1,561

4%

3,865

10%

42

1 April 2013

All Services

160,712

130,770

81%

15,464

10%

14,352

9%

126

Naval Service3

31,423

26,799

85%

1,825

6%

2,697

9%

102

Army

93,939

73,668

78%

12,237

13%

8,021

9%

13

RAF

35,350

30,303

86%

1,402

4%

3,634

10%

11

1 April 2014

All Services

150,891

122,616

81%

13,811

9%

14,396

10%

68

Naval Service3

30,509

25,866

85%

1,732

6%

2,859

9%

52

Army

87,176

68,564

79%

10,667

12%

7,938

9%

7

RAF

33,206

28,186

85%

1,412

4%

3,599

11%

9

1 April 2015

All Services

144,117

116,125

81%

13,401

9%

14,547

10%

44

Naval Service3

30,058

25,338

84%

1,846

6%

2,840

9%

34

Army

82,231

63,854

78%

10,122

12%

8,246

10%

9

RAF

31,828

26,933

85%

1,433

5%

3,461

11%

1

1 April 2016

All Services

140,432

112,024

80%

13,551

10%

14,822

11%

35

Naval Service3

29,702

24,850

84%

1,932

7%

2,892

10%

28

Army

79,746

61,431

77%

10,001

13%

8,308

10%

6

RAF

30,984

25,743

83%

1,618

5%

3,622

12%

1

1 April 2017

All Services

138,844

111,026

80%

13,860

10%

13,916

10%

42

Naval Service3

29,584

24,793

84%

2,044

7%

2,722

9%

25

Army

78,407

60,532

77%

9,971

13%

7,890

10%

14

RAF

30,853

25,701

83%

1,845

6%

3,304

11%

3

1 Full time trade trained and serving against requirement personnel.

2 As at 1 April each year.

3 Includes Royal Navy and Royal Marines.

The table below provides the number and percentage of UK Future Reserves 2020 personnel in each MDS, by Service as at 1 April for each year since 2013. Like for like figures for all three Services are not available prior to October 2012.

All

MFD

MLD

MLD

Unknown MDS

n

n

%

n

%

n

%

n

%

1 April 2013

All Services

29,388

24,514

83%

2,322

8%

1,422

5%

1,130

4%

Maritime Reserves3

2,610

2,196

84%

68

3%

49

2%

297

11%

Army Reserves

25,238

21,056

83%

2,232

9%

1,290

5%

660

3%

RAF Reserves

1,540

1,262

82%

22

1%

83

5%

173

11%

1 April 2014

All Services

28,147

22,935

81%

2,554

9%

1,480

5%

1,178

4%

Maritime Reserves3

2,850

2,335

82%

106

4%

69

2%

340

12%

Army Reserves

23,578

19,278

82%

2,409

10%

1,319

6%

572

2%

RAF Reserves

1,719

1,322

77%

39

2%

92

5%

266

15%

1 April 2015

All Services

30,814

23,898

78%

2,770

9%

1,564

5%

2,582

8%

Maritime Reserves3

3,157

2,457

78%

121

4%

74

2%

505

16%

Army Reserves

25,438

19,884

78%

2,592

10%

1,392

5%

1,570

6%

RAF Reserves

2,219

1,557

70%

57

3%

98

4%

507

23%

1 April 2016

All Services

34,755

26,180

75%

3,105

9%

1,676

5%

3,794

11%

Maritime Reserves3

3,541

2,883

81%

131

4%

104

3%

423

12%

Army Reserves

28,672

21,398

75%

2,888

10%

1,480

5%

2,906

10%

RAF Reserves

2,542

1,899

75%

86

3%

92

4%

465

18%

1 April 2017

All Services

36,222

27,484

76%

3,354

9%

1,808

5%

3,576

10%

Maritime Reserves3

3,555

2,925

82%

159

4%

108

3%

363

10%

Army Reserves

29,941

22,423

75%

3,092

10%

1,581

5%

2,845

10%

RAF Reserves

2,726

2,136

78%

103

4%

119

4%

368

13%

1 Includes trained and untrained Reservist personnel.

2 As at 1 April each year.

3 Maritime Reserves comprises the Royal Naval Reserve and the Royal Marine Reserve.

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