Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to reverse the decision to cut full-time Army personnel to 73,000.

The 2021 Integrated Review and Defence Command Paper outlines the Government's plan for Defence. It recognised the unprecedented challenges posed by geopolitical shifts, including intensifying competition between states, a widening range of security threats, and rapid technological change.

The Future Soldier publication, published on 25 November 2021, outlines the future restructuring of the Army. The Army will consist of 73,000 full-time personnel and will move to a whole-force strength including fully integrated Reserve of over 100,000 personnel from 2025. The Army will become more agile and designed for permanent and persistent global engagement. The Army will be leaner, lighter, faster to respond, and more effectively matched to current and future threats. It will be integrated across domains, with allies, and ever more globally engaged.

We will continue to ensure we are threat-led and review the capabilities of the Armed Forces accordingly.