Retired Army officer slams schools 'teaching children to be ashamed of British history' as military downsizes

Fresh figures released on Thursday revealed the Armed Forces have grown by a mere 240 troops over the past year despite a recruitment drive.

Currently, there are 137,100 full-time personnel across all sections of the British military, up from 136,860 in October last year.

It leaves the military with 11,900 fully-trained officers, dropping down from 12,000 in 2024.

"That leaves the number of fully-trained soldiers at its smallest level in more than 200 years," Dawn noted, adding it comes just as France announced the return of national service in a bid to combat Russian threats.

Emmanuel Macron announced the revival of voluntary national service on Thursday, which he said would be installed to hit back at the "accelerating threats" to the nation, starting next year.

The British Government, however, has claimed they will not follow in Mr Macron's footsteps.

"I know we are in trouble, aren't we? It sounds really worrying to me," Dawn admitted.

"The trouble is you reach a point where it's a downward spiral," Mr Cross told GB News, explaining poor figures in the army has always been an issue which has deteriorated as of late.

"A lot of my contacts are telling me that because recruiting is so poor and the numbers are falling, those who are serving are being called upon to fill all sorts of gaps.

"They're getting very fed up with that. And the retention rates are also falling."

He explained the problem was two-fold with the Army failing to hold onto those already serving their country while also failing to recruit.

Asked why people appear unwilling to join the military, he said: "Well, in a way I'm not the right bloke to ask obviously, because I joined a long time ago.

"But you know, the bottom line is you've got to inspire young people with a reason to join the military. You've got to give them inspirational leadership, saying this is a great career you will have.

"You'll meet and work with tremendous people and you're making a serious positive difference to the world in inverted commerce, to our nation and to our foreign policy."

But Tom responded saying there is currently a lack of a "grand moment" to spur up "national fervour and heroism" to rally the troops.

"But also, sadly, we've had 20 years, probably 20 years plus of an awful lot of people in the media and elsewhere decrying our national history, our heritage, of the empire and colonialism," Mr Cross added.

"A lot of youngsters have grown up in an era, where they're taught to be ashamed of our history and they don't like the fact that some of the things we're talking about here are a reality."

As a result, he called upon the Government to consider the introduction of a voluntary national service that applies to sectors beyond the military.

He said: "We need to be saying to our young people, you're part of a nation, a society that needs you and needs your commitment. And that includes the military, but it includes other stuff too."

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