In December 2023, we were told that budgetary constraints meant that training had been cut in 2023 (and had the potential of being cut similarly in 2024) in order to manage the pressures on the defence budget.184 As the Chief of the General Staff noted, training is a vital part of maintaining an agile force which can undertake “everything from peacekeeping operations right the way up to warfighting operations”.185 We heard that as well as impacting on warfighting readiness, the tempo of activity was also negatively impacting retention186 and the planned maintenance of platforms.187