Elite forces ‘hollowed out’ as marines and paras suffer

THE Government has been accused of “hollowing out” the military after official figures showed that elite forces have been hit by troop cuts.

According to Ministry of Defence data, the Royal Marines and the Parachute Regiment have seen headcount reductions in recent years.

Since 2016, the strength of the Parachute Regiment has fallen by almost a 10th from 2,200 troops to 2,030 in October 2023, while the Royal Marines have fallen by over 1,000 marines from 7,110 to 6,040.

The figures were disclosed following a series of parliamentary questions from Labour. John Healey, the shadow defence secretary, said: “UK defence depends on the strength and skill of elite forces like the Marines, Paras and Intelligence Corps. So it’s a serious concern that new figures show they are in decline.

“Fourteen years of Tory failure in defence has created a wider military recruitment crisis. Ministers have missed their recruitment targets every year since 2010, cut the Army to its smallest size since Napoleon and ‘hollowed out’ our Armed Forces.

“Labour will ensure Britain is better defended. In Government, we will overhaul military recruitment, tackle the shameful state of military housing, and establish an Armed Forces Commissioner as a strong independent voice to improve service life for our Forces and their families.”

Figures show that the Intelligence Corps – the intelligence-gathering wing of the Army – has also seen troops fall, from 1,850 personnel to 1,810.

In November, it was reported that the Army was offering a £7,500 “one-off incentive” to tempt troops from other infantry units to join the Parachute Regiment.

A dearth of paratroopers could affect Special Forces units because they supply the biggest cohort of soldiers to the Special Air Service and the Special Forces Support Group.

An MoD spokesman said: “The Armed Forces are committed to attracting, retaining and developing the best talent from the broadest diversity of experience, skills and background needed to maintain operational effectiveness.”