One in four want to quit the Armed Forces 'as soon as they can' new report shows

The survey for the Ministry of Defence showed that opportunities outside of the services and low morale had increased the numbers wanting to leave

The Armed Forces may undershoot their target of 20,000 job cuts by 2020 (Ben Stansall/ AFP)

One in four of Britain’s Armed Forces want to quit “as soon as they can”.

Among the factors service personnel had for leaving, opportunities outside of the service was responsible for 52 per cent. Morale in the Armed Forces also came under scrutiny, 41 per cent of respondents citing it as their reason for wanting to quit, up from 38 per cent in 2014.

The statistics, which were published as part of the Ministry of Defence’s UK Regular Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey, said that the figure of those planning to leave was up 9 per cent since 2011.

The report comes as the latest development in cuts to the United Kingdom’s defence budget, with fears that the Armed Forces may undershoot its downsized force target of 82,000 by 2020, due to the level of discontent among the ranks.

The MoD had originally aimed to cut 20,000 jobs, while the government has refused to protect defence spending from further cuts, or commit to the 2 per cent NATO spending target.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "We continually strive to ensure our people feel valued and that their contribution and sacrifice is recognised. That is why we invest in a range of measures to improve service life, from welfare support to accommodation, while prioritising the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant."