Recruiting officers told not to warn would-be soldiers about true horrors of Army life
Daily Record
Recruiters who refused to hide the truth were sent back to their barracks to face disciplinary action.
Figures reveal high number of visits by armed forces to Norfolk schools
ForcesWatch press release
Figures obtained under Freedom of Information reveal that the armed forces are visiting nearly all secondary maintained schools and academies in Norfolk and some schools have activities run by the military many times a year.
Critical portrayals of life in the armed forces in two West End plays
Owen Everett, ForcesWatch
There are two plays on in London's West End currently that depict life in the UK military, and they do so critically. Our Boys', by Jonathan Lewis, at the Duchess Theatre is a revival, having first been performed in 1993. Sandi Toksvig's Bully Boy is at the St James Theatre. There is considerable similarity in the themes of the two plays: why young men join the armed forces, how they are often neglected when injured, and the horror of contemporary war in general.
Recently….on the Olympics, strike-breaking and the armed forces
ForcesWatch comment
In an article called 'Olympic Medals for the Military', Professor Michael Clarke, director-general of the Royal United Services Institute argues that the involvement of the military in the Olympics will bring in "a new relationship between the Armed Forces and the general public", in which the former appear "a normal and average part of a relaxed and self-confident British society.” Is normalisation of the military within everyday life a good thing? Is it the mark of a "self-confident British society" or would a better indicator of that be a far less visible presence of the military?
Figures reveal high number of visits by armed forces to Edinburgh schools
ForcesWatch press release
Event: Questioning the presence of the military in schools, Thurdsay 11 October, St Augustine's United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL, 7.30-9pm
Figures obtained under Freedom of Information reveal that the armed forces are visiting nearly all schools in the Edinburgh area and some schools have activities run by the military many times a year. (1)
Of the 23 state secondary schools in Edinburgh, 22 were visited by the armed forces an average of 7 times during a two year period. A further 11 independent schools and FE Colleges also had visits. Since September there have been a total of 225 visits to 33 schools and colleges (2). Balerno High School had the highest number of visits, with the armed forces recording having been at the school 22 times since September 2010. Some of the visits are for individual interviews, but the majority are for careers briefings, award evenings, curriculum support, presentations and team building events.
The figures have been obtained by ForcesWatch who are concerned about the level of military involvement in UK schools and colleges across the UK (3).
Recently… on militainment
ForcesWatch comment
A recent article called The Morning After: Unfriendly Fire by James Poniewozik in Time Magazine critiques a new reality TV show from the US TV channel NBC. Stars Earn Stripes, "in which celebrities are paired with soldiers to carry out special-forces-type maneuvers, was denounced by nine Nobel laureates, including South African bishop Desmond Tutu, for glamourising war and its violence by making them into entertainment."
Sexual assault and bullying in the armed forces
ForcesWatch comment
Press release: Questioning the involvement of the military in education: a series of public debates
ForcesWatch press release
On 18 September ForcesWatch (1) begins its national series of public events that will debate whether the armed forces should be involved in education activities in UK schools and colleges. Events will take place in Oxford (18 September), Bath (20 September), Edinburgh (11 October), Norwich (23 October) and London (25 October).
RAF and Navy each take on just TEN 16-year old recruits in one year amid fears forces are failing to appeal to youngsters
Daily Mail
The number of under 18s joining the armed forces is falling, particularly in the RAF and Navy.
One sex attack reported by Armed Forces every week… but real figure could be much higher
Daily Mail
One rape or sexual assault is reported by members of the Armed Forces every week. The MP who released the figures believes they could be a huge underestimate, with the true figures closer to an attack a day.