Defence Personnel Totals - Strength of UK Regular Forces - Deployment in Budgetary Areas - Deployment Locations - Recruitment of Regular Forces - Outflow of Regular Forces - Reserve Forces

DEFENCE PERSONNEL TOTALS

TOTAL SERVICE AND CIVILIAN PERSONNEL STRENGTH (1 JANUARY 2006)
   
UK service personnel (excludes some 3,350 Gurkhas) 195,960
UK civilian personnel 90,000
Locally entered/engaged service personnel 200
Locally entered/engaged civilian personnel 16,150
Royal Irish (Home Service) 3,130
Army Reservists mobilised 1,270
RAF Reservists mobilised 40
Royal Navy Reservists mobilised 40
306,790

For comparison:
Total Service and Civilian Personnel Strength (1 April 1990)

   
UK service personnel 305,700
UK civilian personnel 141,400
Locally entered/engaged service personnel 9,000
Locally entered/engaged civilian personnel 30,900

487,000


Note: In 1990, the figures for the then Ulster Defence Regiment (full time personnel) were included in the UK service personnel total.

Strength of UK Regular Forces Trained and Untrained (1 January 2006)
Royal Navy Officers Other Ranks
Trained 6,780 28,800
Untrained 1,020 3,488
Army
Trained 14,200 86,940
Untrained 780 12,400
Royal Air Force
Trained 9,510 37,940
Untrained 1,000 1,100

Deployment in Budgetary Area (1 April 2005)
Navy Operational Areas Officers Other Ranks Civilians
Consolidated Figure (1) 3,000 21,900 1,600


Royal Fleet Auxiliary total Personnel 2,300

Note: (1) Consolidated figures are for: Naval Aviation, Fleet Infrastructure, Surface Fleet, Submarines and Royal Marines.
Army Operational Areas Officers Other Ranks Civilians
Field Army 4,600 47,300 2,100
Joint Helicopter Command 1,400 11,200 500
GOC Northern Ireland 600 5,200 3,100
Land Support 300 100 800
Commander Regional Forces 1,300 9,900 5,200
Air Force Operational Areas Officers Other Ranks Civilians
Strike Command Management Group 4,600 26,500 5,600
2nd Sea Lord/Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command
Officers Other Ranks Civilians
Flag Officer Training and Recruiting 600 1,800 1,000
Headquarters 1,000 2,000 800
Untrained Personnel 900 2,600 -
Adjutant General (Personnel and Training Command)
Officers Other Ranks Civilians
Army Personnel Centre 1,300 2,100 800
Army Training and Recruitment 1,100 5,300 4,000
Chief of Staff 300 600 900
General Staff 600 500 900
Untrained Personnel 900 9,500 -
Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief RAF Personnel and Training Command
Officers Other Ranks Civilians
Personnel Management Agency 400 500 200
Training Group Defence Agency 1,100 2,500 2,200
Core Headquarters 500 900 3,000
Untrained Personnel 1,000 2,000 -
Miscellaneous Figures
Officers Other Ranks Civilians
Central 4,000 6,800 17,400
Defence Logistics Organisation 1,900 4,400 20,600
Defence Procurement Agency 500 200 3,800
Permanent Joint Headquarters 400 400 200
Deployment Locations (1 April 2005)
United Kingdom Total
Service Personnel 171,870
Civilian 84,700
MAINLAND EUROPE
Germany
Service 22,170
Civilian 9,700
Balkans
Service Personnel 170
Civilian 660
Remainder
Service Personnel 1,200
Civilian 140
MEDITERRANEAN
Gibraltar
Service Personnel 360
Civilian 1,100
Cyprus
Service Personnel 3,170
Civilian 2,790
Middle East
Service Personnel 390
Civilian 1,650 
Note: Above figures include personnel based in Egypt, Iraq and Libya, but not those on temporary deployment in the region - especially Iraq.
Far East/Asia
Service Personnel 260
Civilian 730

Note: Above figures include personnel based in Afghanistan on temporary deployment
AFRICA
Sierra Leone
Service Personnel 100
Civilian 600
Elsewhere in Africa
Service Personnel 70
Civilian 170
NORTH AMERICA
USA
Service Personnel 400
Civilian 200
Canada
Service Personnel 290
Civilian 20
Note: Excluding British troops training in Canada at the British Army Training Unit, Suffield.
Central and South America
Service Personnel 100
Civilian 150
Falkland Islands
Service Personnel 320
Civilian 50
Note: The figures for the Falklands Islands do not include personnel on temporary detachment.
Elsewhere
Service Personnel 230
Civilian 280

Intake - UK Regular Forces (2004-2005)
Officers Other Ranks
Royal Navy 370 (665) 3,320 (4,704)
Army 760 (1,525) 10,940 (18,743)
Royal Air Force 450 (936) 1,880 (6,078)
For Comparison - 1985-1986 figures are in brackets.
Outflow - UK Regular Forces (2004-2005)
Officers Other Ranks
Royal Navy 510 (771) 4,130 (7,232)
Army 1,100 (1,985) 13,070 (19,316)
Royal Air Force 700 (983) 3,020 (6,234)
For Comparison - 1985-1986 figures are in brackets.
       
Gender - UK Regular Forces (1 Jan 2006)
       
    Male Female
Royal Navy Officers 7,640 6,980 660
  Other Ranks 31,780 28,790 2,990
         
Army Officers 14,600 13,030 1,570
  Other Ranks 92,540 86,010 6,530
         
Royal Air Force Officers 10,350 8,950 1,400
  Other ranks 39,040 34,370 4,660
         

Figures above exclude Full Time Reserve Service personnel, Gurkhas, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, mobilised reservists and Naval Activated Reservists – about 9,660 personnel. The figures above include trained and untrained personnel.
         

Reserve Forces

In an emergency, the UK MoD could call upon a tri-service reserve component of some 235,500 personnel (early-2005 figure). This figure is composed of Regular Reserves and Volunteer Forces as follows:
Naval Regular Reserves 22,180
Naval Volunteer Reserves 3,610
University Units - Royal Navy 750
Regular Army Reserves 134,190
Territorial Army & Others 37,260
University Units - Army 4,760
Royal Air Force Regular Reserves 35,160
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserves 1,450

Regular Reserves (191,000) comprise ex-service personnel who have completed regular service and have a reserve liability in civilian life. The Volunteer Forces (44,000) comprise volunteers, who may not have had prior regular service and train on a part-time basis, generally at establishments close to their home.

CADET FORCES

In mid 2005, there were 153,000 in the cadet forces of the three services. Single service cadet force numbers (including officers and administrative staff) are as follows:
Royal Navy
Sea Cadets 16,350
Combined Cadet Force 5,560
Army
Army Cadets 52,010
Combined Cadet Force 28,910
Royal Air Force
Air Training Corps 40,170
Combined Cadet Force 10,130
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