"Urgent" Royal Navy, Army and RAF recruitment "crisis" being solved by AI as MoD turns to new tech for help

Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent revealed that the technology was being used to process medical records faster. She was addressing concerns in the House of Lords on Wednesday about the current “recruitment and retention crisis” facing the Royal Navy, Army and RAF.

A huge £1.5bn multiyear contract was awarded to Serco - replacing previous operator Capita - in an effort to address years of missed targets. It is due to take effect in 2027.

Lord Stirrup, former Marshall of the RAF and Chief of Defence Staff, said 2027 is a long way off and measures need to be taken now. “The problem is urgent,” the crossbench peer told the House of Lords. “ I understand there is a period called a mobilisation period before the full implementation of the contract.

“Can the noble lady tell this house what that entails and what is going to be done to improve the situation this year and next year, rather than waiting for 2027.”

Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent, a Labour peer, said this is a significant change to the recruitment process to have a single provider to make sure the armed forces is recruiting where it needs to. The Honorary Captain in the Royal Naval Reserve said: “We need to make sure we get it right so there it doesn’t lead to shortages.

“We are implementing some of the parts of the contract as quickly as we can. One of the biggest challenges the Army had with the Capita contract was access to medical records, which were taking weeks to get. We’re now utilising AI and that has gone from weeks to hours, which is speeding up the process.”

Recruitment targets for Royal Navy, Army and RAF

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin KCB ADC previously detailed the latest recruitment figures in a Public Accounts Committee Meeting on April 28. The Royal Navy is currently exceeding its yearly recruitment target, with RAF levels being “reasonably stable” and the Army being “still on the downward trajectory”.

Baroness Carberry of Muswell Hill, Labour, said despite some improvement in retention rates, the forces are getting smaller to the tune of 200 to 300 due to low morale and various forms of job dissatisfaction. Baroness Anderson said: “I’m in awe of anyone who puts on a uniform and runs toward danger, which is why we have to look after them.

“This government inherited a recruitment and retention crisis from the previous government. Since July, we have taken decisive measures. We still have a huge amount of work to do.

“We have new retention teams which have exit interviews to work with service personnel to see if we can help them overcome their reasons to leave. We spend a huge amount of money in training forces personnel, and it’s important that we make sure they stay.”

In response to the government’s policies, Admiral Lord West of Spithead, former First Sea Lord, said: “We’ve never had any shortage of young men and women who are patriotic and willing to risk it all for our nation. It seemed that the recruiting system was actively trying to stop recruiting those people. I’m glad we’ve got round that.”

He asked the lords if something is being done to bring in more engineers and technicians due to shortages in the Royal Navy and RAF who are “crucial” for our weapon systems. The former First Sea Lord also asked “if the military flying training system is now fit for purpose”, believing it hasn’t been for the past few years.

Baroness Anderson responded: “We’re looking at each pinch point individually, and with regards to tri-service air engineers, we’ve offered a £30,000 incentive.”