Portsmouth Navy base could get a staffing boost after Government plans revealed
Foreign nationals who live abroad will be allowed to serve in the UK Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence has announced.
Restrictions stopping potential applicants who live outside of the UK will now be lifted to try and tackle dropping numbers within the UK military.
Applications will still be limited to Commonwealth citizens, however.
The move comes after an overall personnel shortage of 8,200 was reported earlier this year — the largest since 2010.
This shortage is spread across land-based soldiers as well as the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
HMNB Portsmouth, one of three operating Navy bases and responsible for almost two thirds of the Royal Navy’s ships, suffered due to staffing issues last year.
It is hoped that this move will help to supplement the base.
Until now, the army could only accept applicants who have lived in the UK for five years.
Initial efforts were made in 2016 to allow Commonwealth citizens to join the army, but this was only for a limited number of jobs.
This new initiative will be expected to bring greater numbers of staff into the UK Armed Forces.
