ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the Army’s requirements of men in relation to what it actually needs to carry out its tasks and considers the British population for its recruiting potential. The way in which the Army works out its manpower requirements under current conditions must first be investigated in the department in the Ministry of Defence run by the Director of Staff Duties. This department is responsible for working out the manning establishment of each unit in the Army, and then keeping track of how many men there are serving in each arm of the service. Periodically there are meetings of the Standing Committee on Army Manpower Forecasts, at which representatives of the Director of Staff Duties consider the future requirements of each arm of the service with the staff of the Director of Manning. The manpower planner has to reconcile two differing and sometimes conflicting criteria – those concerned with finance and economics, and those concerned with people.
