Facts or Anecdotes? The battle for the truth over the outcomes of military service
13/09/2019
We look at recent reports on the levels of abuse in the armed forces and growing ackowledgement of the systemic failures in how complaints are handled.
Scottish Government ignores child rights concerns around armed forces activities in schools
06/09/2019
Quakers in Scotland and ForcesWatch are disappointed that the Public Petitions Committee of the Scottish Parliament have decided to close further investigation of how to implement their own recommendations around oversight of armed forces activities in schools.
British army targets youngest and poorest for riskiest roles
22/08/2019CRIN press release
A new report from the Child Rights International Network shows that the British army is intentionally targeting young people from deprived backgrounds for the roles carrying the greatest risks in war.
Armed Forces Day is a propaganda tool for arms firms and the military – and the public are footing the bill
29/06/2019Joe Glenton, The Independent
Joe Glenton in The Independent about the 10th year of Armed Forces Day, an annual day of 'family-fun' and celebration of militarism, with heavy costs to local councils and the involvement of some of the world's largest arms companies.
The death and inquest of Geoff Gray
21/06/2019
The third re-inquest in relation to the four Deepcut deaths of young soldiers has returned a verdict of suicide despite lack of proof and illustrates again the imbalance of power between the institutions of the military and the individual.
The case for unionising the army
19/06/2019
With the military's complaints system being called 'fundamentally dysfunctional' and its justice system 'second rate', we look at calls for expanding the rights of military personnel and allowing self-organisation through unionisation.
The British military: protecting the Sultan of Brunei
05/04/2019
With the stationing of British troops in Brunei, the UK government has a powerful hand to play in challenging the new anti-LGBTQ+ law imposed by the Sultan.
New report calls for regulation of military marketing that targets young people
27/02/2019ForcesWatch press release
A report published today (27 February 2019) critiques the armed forces’ marketing practice in selling their careers to vulnerable adolescents. This comes in the wake of the Army's controversial new 'Snowflake' recruiting campaign.
Adverse health effects of recruiting child soldiers
27/02/2019BMJ Paediatrics Open
This editorial in BMJ Paediatrics Open (2019, vol 3, issue 1) discusses the issues raised in the Medact report, The recruitment of children by the UK Armed Forces: a critique from health professionals, which brought together evidence highlighting the increased risk of death and injury for those recruited under the age of 18. The authors, Reem Abu-Hayyeh and Guddi Singh, contributed to the content and launch of the report Selling the military: A critical analysis of contemporary recruitment marketing in the UK by ForcesWatch and Medact.
Sexual assault continues to plague women in the military
14/02/2019ForcesWatch comment
We look at the Lost Heroines campaign by specialist lawyers Bolt Burdon Kemp which highlights some of the issues facing women in the military, with a particular focus on sexual harassment.