Aspiring soldiers rejected on medical grounds as MoD defends strict recruitment rules

Reports that aspiring soldiers are being rejected on medical grounds have raised questions about whether the armed forces are missing willing recruits. Medical standards are strict because personnel can be sent to demanding and hostile environments, but families and doctors say some decisions are based on minor or childhood conditions.

More than 114,000 applications to the Army were rejected on medical grounds in the last five years. RAF data showed almost 2,700 medical rejections in the last two years. Mental health, eye and musculoskeletal conditions were among the most common reasons.

Several cases illustrate the concern:

• Lewis, a student at an agricultural college and top shot in his cadet force, had his application rejected after cataract surgery as a child. He says he meets the Army's required standard for 20-20 vision with corrected lenses, his glasses. His family has served in the Army since the early 18th century.
• Ben, who wanted to be an RAF mechanic, was unable to join because he uses an inhaler. Asthma rules were relaxed in 2024, but he says his GP confirms it does not affect his fitness. He described breaking down after the rejection and said he was 'just asking for a chance, though, to do my part'.
• Other families reported rejections linked to a childhood course of oral steroids after a reaction to chemicals in a swimming pool, a child psychologist appointment at age eight that did not lead to an ADHD diagnosis, and a foot issue that might degrade and require surgery in 10 to 15 years.

A doctor said some patients had been refused for reasons that did not add up medically and called for rejection reasons to be kept up to date, while accepting that the armed forces need certain criteria. The Ministry of Defence said the majority of the figures covered years before it removed more than 100 outdated recruitment policies. It added that service is physically demanding, so sensible recruitment policies are needed to maintain operational effectiveness without unnecessarily excluding people. Each application is considered case by case by specialist clinicians assessing the severity of any condition and the individual's ability to train, deploy and operate.

When asked whether lowering medical standards could reduce operational effectiveness and put other soldiers at risk, Ben said: 'If you're in the middle of a gunfight, you need to be able to have the cardio in you to be able to perform.' But he added that he was not asking to do that job. Lewis plans to keep fighting his appeal, but he worries others like him have already given up on a military career. The Ministry of Defence reviewed recruitment policies in 2024, so some rejected applicants may now be reassessed.