Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of army recruits participating in the long course at the Army Foundation College left the army before completing the course in 2024.

Of the 707 Junior Entry trainees that were due to complete training in 2024 as a result of starting the long course at the Army Foundation College in 2023, 198 left and discharged from training prior to completing the course. This equated to 28% of the total discharging from the course prior to completion.

The main reason for early discharge was individuals exercising their “Discharge As Of Right”, i.e. voluntary discharge. An average of 167 personnel discharged voluntarily between 2013 and 2023.