‘Staggering’ number of British service personnel who are unfit to serve in front-line combat revealed

UP to 30,000 British service personnel are unfit to serve in front-line combat units or can manage only light duties. More than one in ten of the Army’s 74,300 personnel — or 7,652 soldiers — would not be able to fight, figures released to the Commons show. Up to 30,000 British service personnel are unfit to serve in front-line combat units or can manage only light duties Credit: Getty More than one in ten of the Army’s 74,300 personnel — or 7,652 soldiers — would not be able to fight Credit: Alamy A further 10,624 could be deployed with medical issues preventing them from having combat roles. Figures for the Navy and RAF from 2025 show a further 11,413 are either non-deployable or could be sent overseas but with medical issues. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Most have broken limbs or back injuries. But some have been downgraded with mental health or alcohol problems. Former intelligence officer Col Philip Ingram called the figures “staggering”. He added: “Serious questions must be asked about who is responsible for this failure of leadership.” The Ministry of Defence said: “We are committed to providing world-class medical treatment.” Comment now