Despite previous recruitment issues, the Earl of Minto told the House of Lords that ‘applications are well up’ (Picture: MOD)

More than 10,000 people applied to join the British Army in January, a defence minister has revealed.

During a debate about military National Service, Timothy Lariston Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound The Earl of Minto told the House of Lords that “applications have been well up in the last few months”.

The Conservative peer said: “We had more than 10,000 applications for regular soldiers in January; there were 53,000 applications in the period from June 2021 to 2022 and just shy of 70,000 from June 2022 to 2023”.

* Applications to join Armed Forces rising, with Royal Navy at an eight-year high

* UK Armed Forces numbers drop by almost a third in 23 years, MOD data reveals

* Fact check: Is military conscription really going to happen?

The Earl of Minto went on to say: “My Lords, the way we address the threat is a constantly changing situation.

“Whether through procurement or through individual members of the forces, there is a constant ratio of training, retraining and readdressing the threat.”

He went on to say: “I really believe that we have the right quality of forces in place. We know that we do not have as many as we had planned, and there are some prevalent recruitment issues.

“Encouragingly, applications have been well up in the last few months.”Play VideoWatch: Defence Secretary admits proposed military housing policy is ‘problematic’

The debate on National Service follows on from the head of the British Army’s comments, suggesting that Britain should train and equip a “citizen army” to prepare the country for a potential land war with Russia.

Only last month the Defence Secretary said applications to join the Armed Forces have increased, amid rising tensions around the globe.

Grant Shapps said the Royal Navy had received an eight-year high in applications, while the British Army had seen a six-year high.

He also stated that the Royal Air Force was experiencing an increase in potential recruits.

At the time, Mr Shapps did not put a number on the applications received, but his hopes of “making progress” on recruitment come after warnings that military personnel are leaving faster than they can be replaced.

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Despite previous recruitment issues, the Earl of Minto told the House of Lords that ‘applications are well up’ (Picture: MOD)

More than 10,000 people applied to join the British Army in January, a defence minister has revealed.

During a debate about military National Service, Timothy Lariston Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound The Earl of Minto told the House of Lords that “applications have been well up in the last few months”.

The Conservative peer said: “We had more than 10,000 applications for regular soldiers in January; there were 53,000 applications in the period from June 2021 to 2022 and just shy of 70,000 from June 2022 to 2023”.

* Applications to join Armed Forces rising, with Royal Navy at an eight-year high
* UK Armed Forces numbers drop by almost a third in 23 years, MOD data reveals
* Fact check: Is military conscription really going to happen?

The Earl of Minto went on to say: “My Lords, the way we address the threat is a constantly changing situation.

“Whether through procurement or through individual members of the forces, there is a constant ratio of training, retraining and readdressing the threat.”

He went on to say: “I really believe that we have the right quality of forces in place. We know that we do not have as many as we had planned, and there are some prevalent recruitment issues.

“Encouragingly, applications have been well up in the last few months.”Play VideoWatch: Defence Secretary admits proposed military housing policy is ‘problematic’

The debate on National Service follows on from the head of the British Army’s comments, suggesting that Britain should train and equip a “citizen army” to prepare the country for a potential land war with Russia.

Only last month the Defence Secretary said applications to join the Armed Forces have increased, amid rising tensions around the globe.

Grant Shapps said the Royal Navy had received an eight-year high in applications, while the British Army had seen a six-year high.

He also stated that the Royal Air Force was experiencing an increase in potential recruits.

At the time, Mr Shapps did not put a number on the applications received, but his hopes of “making progress” on recruitment come after warnings that military personnel are leaving faster than they can be replaced.

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1,000 US troops will deploy for temporary port operations to move aid into Gaza The Pentagon will soon deploy about 1,000 American troops to build a temporary seaport just off the coast of war-torn Gaza to provide its inhabitants some 2 million meals per day, a Pentagon spokesman said. None of the American forces will enter Gaza at any time  Army mariners work to construct a causeway off the coast of Bowen, Australia, on July 28, 2023. The causeway forms a floating pier enabling the discharge of equipment to shore showing the capability of Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS. (David Resnick/U.S. Army) The Pentagon will soon deploy about 1,000 American troops to build a temporary seaport just off the coast of war-torn Gaza to provide its inhabitants some 2 million meals per day, a Defense Department spokesman said Friday. The American troops will deploy a floating pier and a roughly 1,800-foot causeway in the Mediterranean Sea off Gaza’s coast, where commercial vessels can dock and offload aid to be transported by smaller vessels and vehicles into Gaza, said Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s top spokesman. The operation will use a makeshift dock known as a Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS, and include Navy and Army personnel, Ryder said. None of the American forces will enter Gaza at any time, including to deliver aid or build the temporary pier, he said at the Pentagon. Ryder said the pier should be operational within about 60 days. “We’re working to set this up as quickly as possible, but we expect that it will take several weeks to plan and execute,” he said. “Once operational the actual amount of aid delivered will depend on many variables and will likely scale over time. However, we expect that deliveries via JLOTS could provide more than 2 million meals to the citizens of Gaza per day.” Not all the forces to be used in the operation had been selected as of Friday, Ryder said. However, the Army’s 7th Transportation Brigade based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia had already been notified it would be deployed, he said. That unit is described by the Army as its JLOTS experts. President Joe Biden announced Thursday during his State of the Union speech that he ordered the Pentagon to conduct the new aid mission. He also called on Israel to do more to protect civilians and ensure they receive humanitarian aid as the Israelis fight Hamas militants in the Palestinian enclave. The U.N. said the roughly 2.3 million people in Gaza now face near-famine conditions amid the fighting launched in the wake of Hamas militants’ surprise assault on Israelis on Oct. 7. Humanitarian aid has been slow getting into Gaza for reasons including blockades at land crossings and tight controls of aid trucks by Israel, which has accused Hamas of stealing humanitarian goods. The United States in recent days has begun airdropping some humanitarian aid into Gaza via Air Force C-130s. The U.S. and Jordanian militaries airdropped about 11,500 meals into northern Gaza on Friday, according to U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East. To date, the United States has airdropped about 124,000 meals to Gazans, Ryder said. He also said the U.S. would continue to press Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza via land crossings, but it would continue to work to find creative ways to get meals to the enclave’s civilians. “This is part of a full-court press by the United States to not only focus on working on opening up and expanding routes via land — which of course are the optimal way to get aid into Gaza — but also by conducting air drops, and now, as the president has said, not enough aid is getting in, and so this is a capability that we have [and] it’s a capability that we are going to execute,” the general said. It was not clear Friday how much the new aid operations would cost U.S. taxpayers, Ryder said. The Navy will deploy the floating pier and causeway toward Gaza via ships, and soldiers and sailors will prepare them for use, Ryder said. Commercial vessels will be able to dock at the floating pier, where their cargo can be offloaded and reloaded onto smaller Navy logistics support vessels, he said. Those Navy ships will then deliver the aid onto the causeway, where it will be loaded onto trucks that will drive it onto the beach in Gaza for delivery, Ryder said. The aid will be driven into Gaza by vetted U.S. partners and not American troops, he said. The U.S. was in talks with partner nations, nongovernmental organizations and Israel about who would conduct those operations. “The concept that is being planned involves the presence of U.S. military personnel on military vessels offshore but does not require U.S. military personnel to go ashore,” Ryder said. He said the U.S. military would work to ensure proper security measures were in place on the ground and would take precautions to protect its troops offshore. He declined to provide specifics about such plans to protect American forces. Ryder also said the United States would take measures aimed at ensuring Hamas does not commandeer aid coming into Gaza via the temporary seaport. “It’s a combat zone right and you’ve got active combat operations going on with Hamas in the area,” he said. “That’s certainly a risk. But, if Hamas truly does care about the Palestinian people, then one would hope that this international mission to deliver aid to people who need it would be able to happen unhindered.” FEATURED ON INSTAGRAM COREY DICKSTEIN Corey Dickstein covers the military in the U.S. southeast. He joined the Stars and Stripes staff in 2015 and covered the Pentagon for more than five years. He previously covered the military for the Savannah Morning News in Georgia. Dickstein holds a journalism degree from Georgia College & State University and has been recognized with several national and regional awards for his reporting and photography. He is based in Atlanta.

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HMS Protector, the Royal Navy’s ice patrol ship, has wrapped up her latest adventure in the Antarctic, completing a scientific and conservation mission.

Clocking in at 7,000 nautical miles, this annual journey takes the Plymouth-based vessel deep into the icy heart of the continent, where she contributes to scientific research and environmental initiatives.

“We are reminded every day by the stunning wildlife and environment that surrounds us. Operating in Antarctica is a rare privilege,” said the ship’s Commanding Officer, Captain Tom Weaver.

“I’m delighted that we were able to use Protector’s many capabilities to support Antarctic research and uphold the UK’s role within the Antarctic Treaty system,” he added.

The ship delivered 4.5 tonnes of conservation supplies to Detaille Island and Port Lockroy – where the UK’s most southerly public Post Office is located.

The supplies will help the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust complete structural works on the historic buildings there.

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During a survey of the Antarctic waters, HMS Protector encountered 74 fur seals, 26 sei whales, 161 humpback whales, 25 fin whales, 18 killer whales and a rare albino whale.

Adding to its environmental contributions, HMS Protector collected three tonnes of waste from Brabant Island which had been left over from previous missions, and recovered 1.8 tonnes of stores for the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, aiding in its heritage conservation efforts.

The mission also prioritised enhancing navigational safety in Antarctic waters.

Using her Multibeam Echo Sounder, Protector surveyed over 1,500 nautical miles of data and mapped more than 33 square nautical miles of UK Hydrographic Office priority areas, contributing to chart updates and navigational safety improvements.

Two University of Portsmouth professors joined Protector during her deployment.

The academics’ mission was to understand the human impact that increasing levels of shipping and tourism are having on the region. They did this by collecting water and rocks.

The ship was also joined by two penguin scientists from Oceanites.

The scientists counted over 10,000 penguins for their research into Antarctic populations in support of climate science.

Among others, HMS Protector also embarked three Mountain Leaders from the Royal Marines, two students from Cambridge University and a captain from the Canadian Coast Guard.

The ship’s First Lieutenant, Lieutenant Commander Phil Boak, said: “Having recently stepped on board HMS Protector after a short stint on the RRS Sir David Attenborough, it was great to see how the Royal Navy operates in the Antarctic.  “Being deployed over February 2024 was particularly poignant, as this coincided with the 80th anniversary of Operation Tabarin, the secret British mission to Antarctica during the Second World War which laid the foundations for the British Antarctic Survey.”

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Play Video

Skills in conventional warfare are still critical and armies still need bridges to cross rivers and ravines – with the conflict in Ukraine looking more like the Second World War.

55 Training Squadron, based at Minley, Hampshire, has been teaching their brand new engineers the art of bridge building.

Training Sapper Kamal Ale Magar told Forces News: “Bridging is very important. As an army, we need to pass from one side to the other with lots of kit that helps win the war.”

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Before building the bridges, the trainee engineers put their skills into practice using model sets made out of Lego-like blocks.

The first real bridge the sappers get to build is a five-bay medium girder over-bridge which is used over weak ground, so it can take more weight.

They will then progress to a five-bay medium girder bridge, without the ‘over’ – for crossing wet and dry gaps, then an IAB (infantry assault bridge), before the ultimate 12-bay double-storey medium girder bridge.

While speed is important, Corporal Sahadeb Magar, 55 Training Squadron Section Commander emphasises that the focus was on “momentum”.

“It is crucial, because sometimes we have to meet the given deadline to build a bridge, and they need to know what’s coming next smoothly and safely and the speed is important, to be honest.”

He also underlined that they would sometimes be doing this in a conflict situation – under pressure and under fire.

“Teamwork, communication. They need to have knowledge of what’s going next.”

After building five bridges in a day the young engineers have surely earned their biscuit – a reward technique that Cpl Sahadeb Magar has been using to motivate the young sappers.

“There is healthy competition – they do well, they get a biscuit,” he said.

Next time we see the young sappers. They will be on the water not crossing it – as they learn to drive boats.

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More than 10,000 people applied to join the British Army in January, a defence minister has revealed.

During a debate about military National Service, Timothy Lariston Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound The Earl of Minto told the House of Lords that “applications have been well up in the last few months”.

The Conservative peer said: “We had more than 10,000 applications for regular soldiers in January; there were 53,000 applications in the period from June 2021 to 2022 and just shy of 70,000 from June 2022 to 2023”.

• Applications to join Armed Forces rising, with Royal Navy at an eight-year high
• UK Armed Forces numbers drop by almost a third in 23 years, MOD data reveals
• Fact check: Is military conscription really going to happen?

The Earl of Minto went on to say: “My Lords, the way we address the threat is a constantly changing situation.

“Whether through procurement or through individual members of the forces, there is a constant ratio of training, retraining and readdressing the threat.”

He went on to say: “I really believe that we have the right quality of forces in place. We know that we do not have as many as we had planned, and there are some prevalent recruitment issues.

“Encouragingly, applications have been well up in the last few months.”

Play Video

The debate on National Service follows on from the head of the British Army’s comments, suggesting that Britain should train and equip a “citizen army” to prepare the country for a potential land war with Russia.

Only last month the Defence Secretary said applications to join the Armed Forces have increased, amid rising tensions around the globe.

Grant Shapps said the Royal Navy had received an eight-year high in applications, while the British Army had seen a six-year high.

He also stated that the Royal Air Force was experiencing an increase in potential recruits.

At the time, Mr Shapps did not put a number on the applications received, but his hopes of “making progress” on recruitment come after warnings that military personnel are leaving faster than they can be replaced.

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Play VideoWatch: Military personnel recover armoured personnel carrier from under a frozen lake

As British Army divers approach the end of an ice-diving course in the Arctic, they faced one last and rather large challenge – recovering an M113 armoured personnel carrier from beneath a frozen lake.

The task was taken on by 27 divers from five different countries, including soldiers from the Royal Engineers, as they reached the end of the specialist course led by the Norwegian army.

Before even attempting to recover the vehicle, personnel had to figure out what they were looking for and build a dive site on the ice – all before plunging into the freezing waters.

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The ship was sunk as a target by HMAS Farncomb in June 1999. Images and footage of the ship sinking have been used and adapted for various purposes, including in movies and as propaganda.

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CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Brunei, a small Southeast Asian sultanate bordered by Malaysia, is significantly raising its 2024 defense budget amid concerns over how to protect its territory.

In the coming fiscal year, the government has allotted 796.3 million Brunei dollars (U.S. $594 million) for defense. This represents a 31.6% jump over last year’s allocation of 605.2 million Brunei dollars.

This rise in military spending heavily surpasses the 5.5% increase in overall government outlays during the fiscal 2024/2025 time period.

When the budget was discussed at the Legislative Council on March 2, the secondary defense minister, Halbi bin Mohammad Yussof, warned Brunei faces a complex and unpredictable security landscape. (The country’s sultan serves as the primary defense minister.)

“The Ministry of Defence and Royal Brunei Armed Forces are actively working to improve intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance, where a new system will be used in the near future,” Halbi said, without providing specifics. “Attention is also focused on the ability to monitor and detect underwater threats to ensure an effective response in maintaining the territorial integrity of Brunei.”

The International Trade Administration, which is part of the U.S. Commerce Department, notes opportunities for American defense contractors in Brunei, having updated this information Feb. 22.

“Brunei has stated its intent to acquire new defense equipment, including surface/maritime surveillance radar, airspace surveillance platforms, maritime patrol aircraft, fixed-wing transport aircraft, medium-range air defense systems, and related assets,” the organization’s website reads. “Military services may also be interested in non-lethal equipment, which may be procured through vendors registered with the Ministry of Defense.”

Brunei considers tensions in the South China Sea, where it and several other nations dispute territorial ownership, as a major security challenge. It also identified other threats in its 2021 defense whitepaper, including regional and global instability; terrorism, extremism and transnational crime; cyber and technological threats; natural disasters; and “the influence of major power dynamics in the region.”

“Tensions over overlapping claims, [and over] illegal fishing, and the security of sea lines of communication (SLOC) from those who seek to exploit internationally recognised laws, all have placed continued and growing demands on Brunei Darussalam’s security forces to secure and police its sovereign maritime borders and territory,” the document noted, using the formal name of the country.

Brunei has already filled some maritime surveillance gaps. It received Insitu-made Integrator drones in 2022 and subsequently set up its first drone unit, No. 39 Squadron.

Furthermore, the Navy received two refurbished Fearless-class patrol vessels in 2023. Singapore donated these secondhand, 500-ton vessels.

Another important purchase in December 2022 was four Airbus C295MW tactical transport aircraft. The first two aircraft were commissioned Feb. 14, with the manufacturer Airbus saying they would “strengthen the country’s air capabilities, and can be deployed on a wide range of missions, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, medical evacuations, noncombatant evacuations as well as search and rescue operations.”

In addition to new equipment, Brunei’s military plans to carefully husband its current assets.

“The replacement, upgrading and service life extension programs for capability systems and infrastructure will be done in stages based on the level of priority, before moving on to new acquisitions in the future,” Halbi said.

About Gordon Arthur

Gordon Arthur is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. After a 20-year stint working in Hong Kong, he now resides in New Zealand. He has attended military exercises and defense exhibitions in about 20 countries around the Asia-Pacific region.

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