recruitment age

UK army minimum recruitment age should be raised to 18 – survey

ICM survey was commissioned by campaigners against child soldiers

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British army ‘explicitly targeting’ working-class recruits, say critics

Recruitment drive focuses on teenagers seeking adrenaline, says Child Soldiers International

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Notes on attending the inquest into Sean Benton’s death at Deepcut barracks

Last week the Coroner at Working Coroner’s Court delivered the findings into the circumstances of Sean Benton’s death at Deepcut Barracks in June 1995. Sean was the first of four soldiers to die there between 1995 and 2002. ForcesWatch have been monitoring the inquest; this article shares our records from the inquest and notes on the final findings. Download the full notes

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Parliamentary mental health inquiry shows youngest military recruits and those from disadvantaged backgrounds face greater mental health risks than others in the forces

The Defence Select Committee recommended that the Ministry of Defence ‘conducts or commissions further research into female personnel, early Service leavers and recruits under 18 to determine the extent to which they are at higher risk of developing mental health conditions.’

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Deepcut – another verdict; still more questions….

Today is a significant day in the Deepcut tragedy. We explore some of the problems that allowed the toxic environment of Deepcut to develop and continue to persist today and why raising the age of recruitment would provide a significant part of the solution.

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War Hurts Everybody

Leicester for Peace report on their 'War hurts everybody' vigil at Leicester Armed Forces Day on was 23 June.

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My thoughts exactly: UK army accused of dictating soldiers’ press statements

The army has been accused of manipulating teenage soldiers by spoonfeeding them identikit quotes to be used in local and regional newspaper articles extolling life in the military.

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UK military school audit reveals teenage recruits at risk

Drive to fast-track late joiners at AFC Harrogate led to issues including skewing staff/student ratios in dangerous activities.

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British army ads targeting ‘stressed and vulnerable’ teenagers

The British army has targeted recruitment material at “stressed and vulnerable” 16-year-olds via social media on and around GCSE results day, the Guardian can reveal.

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Ministry of Defence misleading public over armed forces visits to schools

With the publication of the Scottish Parliament's Public Petitions Committee report on our petition on armed forces visits to schools, there has been substantial coverage in the news (see our round-up). The Ministry of Defence have said a number of things in response that are very disputable – this blog outlines some of the evidence.

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