Commanders have launched a high priority appeal for regular soldiers to take on gruelling SAS selection in a bid to boost flagging numbers of special forces.
Chiefs have issued a mysterious call-to-arms, putting a picture of a crack trooper in counter-terror kit in the publication Soldier Magazine.
The regular Army is also on the hunt – asking veterans to apply to rejoin up to the age of 57, even if they were thrown out on disciplinary grounds or medically discharged.
There have been years of flagging Army numbers. The target of 82,000 regular soldiers is short by over 5,000.
A military source said: “Special forces numbers have decreased. Even though regular forces aren’t engaged in operations at anywhere near the tempo of a few years ago, the tempo is still high in special forces.
“The time it takes to get a special forces soldier trained means they need to process even more recruits right now.
“The advert is a subtle reminder that the right candidate is needed to serve in the world’s most respected special force.”
The Ministry of Defence does not reveal the number of special forces troops but most are currently engaged on operations in Iraq, Syria and other hotspots.
The drop in numbers comes despite the threat from Islamic State, and Russia becoming increasingly aggressive towards the UK.
The MoD said: “We don’t comment on special forces.”
Messages posted by individual regular Army regiments show how veterans are being urged to consider rejoining.
A message sent to former soldiers says: “You can return to full-time service even if you left under the... redundancy scheme. If you were medically discharged or discharged on disciplinary grounds you may also be eligible to rejoin.”
