Overview
- The audit covering spring 2022 through 2025 reported a recruitment shortfall of about 4,700 despite an uptick in the final year.
- Roughly 192,000 people applied online over the period, with 54% dropping out and limited analysis of why applicants left.
- Even at target intake, the Forces lacked capacity to deliver basic training, with timelines further strained by a March 2025 backlog of 23,000 security clearances.
- National Defence needs an additional 5,200 to 7,200 housing units for members, and current plans still leave at least a 3,800-unit gap based on outdated planning data.
- A separate audit examined federal cyber defenses across key agencies as outside researchers recently reported hundreds of exposed civil-service passwords tied to Global Affairs and National Defence.