Generation Z soldiers have said they’d need better Wi-Fi and en-suite bathrooms to stay in the British Army as the forces face down a staggering hiring crisis.
Britain’s serving youth now hold a 19-item-long list of requirements for living on base, a new report into military accommodation says.
Alongside the first two apparent necessities, under-27 soldiers have listed having a double bed and a proper kitchen to cook their own meals in their top four criteria for staying in the forces.
The Ministry of Defence survey’s findings listed 19 requirements which young, single personnel now expect to receive while serving.
Britain’s serving youth now hold a 19-item-long list of requirements for living on base
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Troops living on newer bases usually have most of these amenities already, including rooms to themselves and en-suite facilities – but on older barracks, Britain’s troops share rooms, showers and toilets – with as many as six soldiers to each area.
The MoD report has also suggested thousands of personnel are leaving the forces every year due to sub-standard housing and low-quality canteen food.
Almost 40 per cent of troops said accommodation and food concerns factored into their decisions to seek employment elsewhere.
Last year, some 15,710 troops quit the Armed Forces altogether – and, if their reasons were consistent with the survey’s findings, over 6,000 would have had complaints with food and accommodation.
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Last year, some 15,710 troops quit the Armed Forces altogether
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The report also found that a third of all soldiers believe they pay too much for their accommodation – while further MoD figures say that more than 20,000 military personnel have filed formal complaints about accommodation in the last two years alone.
Ex-army intelligence officer Colonel Phil Ingram said: “Too many facilities are shared, where heating often doesn’t work and where roofs leak.
“There are often problems with vermin and – worst of all – there is little privacy.
“I am not surprised so many cite accommodation as a reason for leaving as on the whole… It is generally atrocious.”
Defence Secretary John Healey has raised fresh fears that the state of the armed forces is “far worse than we thought”
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An MoD spokesman said the department is “determined to tackle the dire state of service accommodation” – and is set to appoint an Armed Forces Commissioner “to act as a strong, independent champion for personnel and their families to improve service life”.
The survey’s findings reflect similar complaints made over nine months ago – when ex-armed forces minister Mark Francois warned the forces were “haemorrhaging” troops faster than they could recruit.
But, more recently, Defence Secretary John Healey raised fresh fears that the state of the armed forces is “far worse than we thought” – with the army currently “not ready” to fend off an invasion.