The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has failed to recruit and train enough personnel to meet its operational requirements, a new report from the auditor general says.
Between April 2022 and March 2025, the Forces received roughly 192,000 applications to serve — but just one in 13 applicants made it through the recruitment pipeline. More than half of those who applied either stopped responding to CAF recruiters or voluntarily withdrew their applications within 60 days.
During that three-year interval, the CAF planned to recruit nearly 20,000 new recruits, but ended up recruiting about 15,000.
The numbers reflect the Forces’ ongoing struggle to recruit talent — which has real implications for the Forces’ ability to function.
“The continuing gaps in Canadian Armed Forces personnel could affect [its] abilities to respond to threats, emergencies, or conflicts and to accomplish their missions,” says Auditor-General Karen Hogan’s report, published Oct. 21.
What is more, the CAF is unsure why so many people are backing out of the recruitment process after initially expressing an interest.
“The Canadian Armed Forces did not always know why applicants abandoned their applications during the recruitment process,” the report says.
‘Ineffective and disjointed’
The auditor general’s investigation found that the CAF’s recruitment and training systems remain mired in inefficiency and poor governance.
“We found ineffective decision making for recruitment and training,” says the report. “Committees and groups managing recruitment and training activities lacked authority and clear accountability, leading to disjointed ownership of the recruiting process.”
The report found that IT systems meant to support recruitment and training were not linked, forcing staff to manually input data and slowing down application processing.
The report also found that while the CAF increased its diversity in some areas — recruiting more Indigenous and visible-minority members — the proportion of women in uniform remained below the CAF’s target of 25 per cent.
Beyond weak recruitment, the report highlights a deeper crisis: the CAF is losing trained members faster than it can replace them.
“While recruitment improved over the audit period, the Canadian Armed Forces did not bring in enough new recruits to replace the people who left,” the report says.
The report warns that attrition and under-recruitment has created chronic staffing gaps across key occupations, including pilots and ammunition technicians, threatening long-term operational readiness.
Capacity stretched thin
The CAF’s training system is also failing to keep pace with the demand of applicants who do make it through the military’s selection screening.
The Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School, responsible for basic military training, was operating at just 80 per cent capacity as of March 2025, due to instructor shortages and heavy workloads.
“We also found that as of March 31, 2024, there was not enough equipment to carry out training operations,” says the report.
In response to persistent training delays and high dropout rates, the CAF introduced several changes during the audit period. The Canadian Forces Aptitude Test — which assessed job applicants’ verbal, spatial and problem-solving skills — was eliminated. A new Scored Employment Application Form was introduced as an alternative screening tool that focuses on an applicant’s education and work experience.
Medical standards were also updated to align eligibility requirements for new recruits with those already serving.
But the fitness standards of people already serving in CAF are raising concerns. In 2019, 72 per cent of CAF personnel were either overweight or obese, Canadian Affairs reported in August.
“The Armed Forces’ readiness level right now is amongst the lowest it’s been in probably 50 years,” Lt.-Gen. (Ret’d) Andrew Leslie told Canadian Affairs at the time.
“And if your people aren’t fit to go … then they’re not of much use to you,” said Leslie, who commanded the Canadian Army from 2006 to 2010, at the height of the war in Afghanistan.
In her report, the auditor general said it was too soon to measure whether the CAF’s reforms have improved recruitment outcomes.
Strategic implications
The recruitment shortfall adds to growing uncertainty about the military’s ability to meet its commitments abroad.
The CAF is currently deployed in Latvia under Operation Reassurance, trains Ukrainian troops under Operation Unifier, and has expanded its presence in the Pacific region with Operations Horizon and Neon.
Defence analysts have warned that without personnel growth, Canada’s ability to sustain these missions — or contribute to new ones — will erode. NATO allies want Canada to take on more responsibilities in ensuring global security, but Ottawa is currently limited in what it can do abroad, geopolitical analyst Jonathan Berkshire Miller told Canadian Affairs in July.
“I think the challenge is purely resources-wise,” said Miller.
“Until we start ramping up more recruitment — to really make [Canada’s contributions] much bigger would be challenging.”
The CAF doesn’t know why applicants abandon their plans of joining? Simply ask why and they will likely tell you that it is because of the asinine and ridiculous wait time and all the hoops one has to go through to join. When becoming a Canadian citizen is FAR easier than joining the forces l, that is a huge turn off. Also, woke culture is still flourishing in the forces, as opposed to the US, and potential recruits don’t want anything to do with that toxic nonsense. The CAF are themselves to blame for their own folly!
My son applied early spring 2025. Following the online submission, he called at least two recruiting offices, and left message to follow up re. his application. No one called back. The recruiting offices he called, appear to be unmotivated.
Well the application process might have something to do with it. I’m going through it now and the required documentation is endless. I’m now onto the 17th required form and once you have completed this, they send you more. Some of these documents ask for identical information over and over again. It’s no wonder people get fed up with it.
I’ve now applied 3 times in the space of 3 years and it’s only at the 3rd attempt o was able to receive adequate information from a recruiter who seemed to know what she was talking about. And I’m the one who was constantly on the phone or emails following up, not the other way around. Let me not get started on the recruitment platform itself, it’s an absolute joke. I wasn’t surprised at all with the findings of the report and simply forwarded it to my partner saying “now you see?”
Liberal Bill Blair’s mismanagement of CAF signified a nose-dive in moral.
I joined the RCN in 1967. I applied on January 5th that year and was sworn in on January 10th. Two days later, I was in Vancouver at the PSU (Personnel Selection Unit) for four days, which included medical and aptitude testing. After four days, I boarded a train for HMCS Cornwallis, where I spent 16 weeks undergoing New Entry Training. After basic training, I was posted to HMCS Gloucester in Ottawa for 9 months of trades training, and it was then that we received our security clearance. From entering the recruiting office to my first operational posting was 15 months. Today’s system is a real SNAFU if you ask me. Enroll the recruit if they meet the medical standards and send them to basic training within the first month. Do all the other things necessary during basic training, such as aptitude testing, etc., and go on to formal trades training after basic. As a suggestion for our government, I know many retired military personnel who would gladly teach young service members in their initial trades training if offered the opportunity. This would allow trained personnel to remain in their operational positions, whether at sea or on a base. And one last thing, decrease the paper clutter that our government is so proud of producing. As we said in the Navy, “Keep it simple and it will work”.
Yes, so true just like taking retired skilled individuals to support the police work.
Well described, very well said!
It shall take consistence , patience and trust in the process. If someone really wants to make a difference, pursue an application with the Military, and feels ambitious , determined, self-discipline, and ready physically mentally to embark in this journey, its usually easy to see.
The red tape is at times necessary, when it comes to determine if the individual in question qualifies ,or as great potential. One as to be emotionally/ intellectually, or intelligent enough to be able to receive, or recognize the true significance, the respected meaningful value, of his or her duties, as a future soldiers. What it is all about.
This is serious business, and I love the idea of Multidisciplinary team work, skilled professional reunited together from different fields of work , who becomes involved in the training of the Soldiers. It does make the task of recruiting ,and training less complex or problematical, less time consuming , way more efficient, versatile, and even economically profitable when it’s shared.
In order words, just because there’s missing some employees, that doesn’t mean that the current situation ain’t curable, fixable , or the goals aren’t achievable. During the Army recruiting or training / evaluations process , they certainly can’t go on to pick just about anyone.
It is obvious that better awareness, sensibilisation , and clearer information needs to circulate around communities across the Canadian Land, in concern to this choice of career.
The present results gives a better picture of the State of the Canadian Army. The Financial needs it still obviously possess to assure that all is in excellence condition ,or functional to its maximum capacity.
The lack of personal is simply a sign that the important time and accurate, appropriate funds needs to be place on recruiting and also for the Army crews training/equipment. They definitely shall need to go out there in Society in order to be able to access , or reach out to the people. A survey could be a good tactic to determine the level of interest that is existing among the Civilians , in regards to getting involved in the Canadian Military.
You can still get a super good education when you enroll in the Army , so that sure is the beauty of it too! A lot of today’s Youths may still be interested in entering the Army , Navy .. there’s a possibility, they ain’t always sure where to turn to, what opportunity, or doors it can open for them. They can as well be missing encouragement , proper direction or alignment and support.
When there’s a will , there ‘s a way.
There is always place for improvement. The solution is often at our reach , and we already possess many facilities or independent resources that can help when it comes to the training of the Soldiers.
One needs to be in top shape +devoted to its Country when thinking of on joining the Military 🎖️
What is the age limit to be considered or be accepted in the enrollment process?
In person application
Human contact is much needed
I served at the recruiting centre in Toronto from 2000-2004 at the rank of Warrant Officer and worked as both a recruiter and a Military Career Counsellor. My information is only applicable to that time period but the application process had four phases: The Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT), the fitness test, the medical exam and lastly the interview with the career counsellor. At any phase the applicant may not meet the fitness/medical standard or not qualify on the test for the trade they had chosen so it was then they would either be given a waiting period to reapply or asked to choose another trade. Very seldom would there be a “clean” applicant. Medical issues were most common and applicants would be asked for a doctors note or other paperwork and as we all know getting to see the family doctor (if you had one) could be a challenge. Then there was the issue of availability on the selected training courses. The CF strived to have an applicant loaded on recruit training followed immediately by trade training to avoid a recruit sweeping floors or wasting weeks doing very little. This waiting for a course could be months and many applicants lost interest or found other jobs. The process may have changed but many of the steps are to ensure that the applicant is capable of completing the training and is motivated for the trade they have chosen.
All I can advise to a potential applicant is know what you want, prepare for it and follow up with the recruiting office.