Chapter 2 - Personnel
                                   
Table 2.1 Recent trends in Service and civilian personnel1 strengths at 1 April each year
Thousands: FTE
    1990 2   1997   2003 2004 2005 2006 3 2007 3   2008  
Total personnel4   487.3   || 348.5   || 321.0 322.4 315.3 304.8 r 293.8 r,p || 282.6 p
                                   
    Service   314.8     215.1     213.4 213.3 206.9 201.4   196.1 p   193.1 p
          UK Regulars   305.8     210.8     206.9 207.0 201.1 195.9   190.4 p   187.1 p
          FTRS   -     -     2.4 2.2 1.7 1.5   1.6 p   1.8 p
          Gurkhas5 } 9.0     4.3 {   3.8 3.7 3.7 3.7   3.7 p   3.9 p
          Locally entered/engaged5       0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4   0.4     0.4  
                                   
    Civilian Level 01,4   172.5   || 133.3   || 107.6 109.0 108.5 103.4 r 97.7 r || 89.5  
          Level 11   141.4   || 101.9  || 81.5 82.2 82.0 78.1   73.8     69.0  
          Trading Funds4   -     15.5   || 12.2 11.4 10.8 10.7   10.1   || 9.2  
          Locally engaged civilians   31.1   || 15.9  || 13.8 15.4 15.7 14.5 r 13.8 r   11.2  
Excluded from the above table:
Royal Irish (Home Service)   6.2     4.8     3.5 3.4 3.2 3.1   2.1     - 6
Source: DASA (Quad-Service)

1.    Civilian Level 0 and Level 1 are defined in the Glossary.

2.    Data using the definition of civilians updated in April 2004 are not available for 1990 - figures are as published in UK Defence Statistics 1990. The 1990 figure excludes casual staff and those not directly funded by the MOD.

3.    LEC figures for April 2006 and 2007 have been revised due to the availability of more accurate data for those personnel based in Brunei and in the CJO TLB.

4.    The following changes have affected the continuity of the civilian data: removal of GCHQ personnel from April 1994 and the contractorisation of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (6,000) in 1993. In 2001 the QinetiQ portion of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (8,000) was established as a private company. At 1 April 2008 the Defence Aviation Repair Agency and the Army Based Repair Organisation merged to form the Defence Support Group and around 1,000 personnel transferred to the Vector Aerospace Corporation.

5.    Gurkhas are included in the locally entered service personnel figures until 1997 after which they are shown separately.

6.    The Home Service of the Royal Irish Regiment was officially disbanded on 31 March 2008.
Due to ongoing validation of data from the Joint Personnel Administration System, Service strength statistics for 1 April 2007 and 1 April 2008 are provisional and subject to review.