[News] Army blames Iraq for drop in recruits

[News at freedomarchives.org]

Army blames Iraq for drop in recruits

Lorna Martin, Scotland editor
Sunday December 19, 2004

The Observer
Senior army commanders have expressed fears that the increasingly vocal 
anti-Iraq war movement is discouraging thousands of young men from 
considering a career in the armed forces.

They blame high-profile campaigns against the war, often led by bereaved 
parents and supported by celebrities and political figures, for worsening 
recruitment problems, particularly into the infantry.

According to military sources the high media visibility of bereaved 
parents, such as Rose Gentle, whose 19-year-old son was killed, and the 
unpopularity of the war have made recruitment and retention a problem, 
exacerbating an already acute recruitment crisis in areas such as Scotland. 
The problem is now also spreading to the north of England and Wales, forces 
officials say.

As well as a shortfall in young men volunteering, army officers have 
reported a wider reluctance to support a career in the army with parents 
refusing to sign consent forms for junior soldiers to sign up and, in some 
cases, local authorities with a strong anti-war sentiment refusing 
permission for recruitment officers to put up stands at local venues.

According to army sources the problem is also evident in the Territorial 
Army which has bolstered the regular Army's ranks in Iraq.

'People join the Territorials for a hobby,' said another source. 'They 
don't expect to end up being sent to Iraq for six months, taking casualties 
and seeing a lot of killing. There is no end in sight to the war in Iraq. 
That is what is really putting people off.'

The impact of the anti-war movement has also made itself apparent in the 
United States, where there has been a sharp decline in volunteers from 
communities - such as the black community - that have traditionally 
supplied soldiers. In the US this has been tied to a sharp increase in 
desertions - a problem so far not seen in the UK.

One senior source confirmed: 'The anti-war movement is exacerbating our 
recruitment problems. The effects have been particularly noticeable in 
Scotland, but are spreading to the north of England and we're beginning to 
see it as well in the west.'

New figures reveal the number of recruits joining Scotland's six regiments 
has fallen sharply this year. This was one of the reasons given last week 
to justify the controversial decision to merge Scotland's regiments into one.

Although senior officers blame social changes - including a more mobile 
workforce, greater access to further education and a change in the 
expectations of young people - the unpopularity of the war in Iraq is a new 
and worrying factor.

A source in one of Scotland's regiments argued against claims that there 
was a recruitment crisis. 'Some of the regiments have had their recruitment 
targets halved by the Ministry of Defence as part of their plans to save 
money on wages and training.'
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/news_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20041220/6a736614/attachment.htm>