Women set to get green light for combat roles in the British army
09/05/2014
Defence secretary Philip Hammond has signalled that women will be eligible to serve in combat roles in the British army for the first time.
The Guardian
Arms and the Woman: Militarizing Gender Wars
09/05/2014
You know the British Army is experiencing a crisis in recruitment when they start to make noises about ending the ban on women in combat roles.
Vron Ware on DiscoverSociety.org
Take arms firms out of the Big Bang Fair
28/03/2014
Letter signed by over 100, including ForcesWatch
The Guardian
Defence Committee report challenges the MoD (again) to produce a ‘robust and thorough’ review of under 18 recruitment
06/03/2014
The Defence Select Committee have today released their report of inquiry into the MoD's Future Army 2020 plan. Amid the concerns about the strategy of increasing the proportion of reservists in relation to regular forces, the report calls on the MoD “to respond in detail to the argument that the Army could phase out the recruitment of minors without detriment to the Army 2020 plans”. Read our submission to the inquiry here.
ForcesWatch comment
FUTURE ARMY 2020: Defence Committee increases pressure to MoD to raise enlistment age to 18
05/03/2014
The Defence Select Committee has increased the pressure on the MoD to stop enlisting minors, in a report published today.
Child Soldiers International press release
Disaster militarism
05/03/2014
The country’s military institutions must not be seen as deserving of special consideration. Once the ethos of public service has been smashed and discredited by neoliberal restructuring, the danger is that it will take more than an army to bring it back. By Vron Ware.
Open Democracy
Rape and sexual assaults in the military need more than ‘kangaroo court’ justice
05/03/2014
The Guardian
Informal and unaccountable 'in-house' procedures mean hundreds of allegations go unquestioned
Gove’s Troops To Teachers ‘A Costly Flop’
04/03/2014
Michael Gove's scheme to train ex-squaddies as teachers was labelled an "expensive flop" yesterday after it was revealed the Tory Education Secretary mustered just 132 recruits.
Morning Star
Bullying in armed forces on rise, MoD figures reveal
04/03/2014
Call for urgent overhaul of military justice as MP highlights plight of servicewomen alleging sexual offences
The Guardian
Military-style discipline to raise standards in state schools
28/01/2014
The Telegraph
Former soldiers without degrees will be fast-tracked into teaching and more cadet force units will be established as part of a dramatic expansion of a “military-style” ethos in English state schools