Soldiers at 16 – The other side of the story

Should the military be promoted in schools?

Does the military give young people a ‘leg up’? The armed forces and social mobility

This briefing explores if these claims about social mobility stand up to scrutiny or whether enlisting in the armed forces can have a negative impact upon social mobility, particularly for very young recruits.
Answering difficult questions about militarism

Science for Society

Is it Counterproductive to Enlist Minors into the Army?
Quakers in Britain

Rethinking Remembrance in Schools

Talks about militarism from MAW Youth conference

The Recruitment of Children by the UK Armed Forces: a Critique from Health Professionals

UN observations on UK and childrens’ rights
Soldiers at 16: Sifting fact from fiction

The British armed forces: Why parental consent safeguards are inadequate

ForcesWatch written evidence to the Education Committee’s inquiry on the Purpose and quality of education in England
‘Commonsense and Understanding’: Recommendations from the Defence Committee’s Duty of Care report that are still outstanding 10 years on

This report then discusses the concept of 'in loco parentis' and 'moral obligation' with regard to the army's duty of care towards young recruits, noting that the Defence Committee were concerned in 2005 that the MoD distinguished too rigidly between legal and moral obligations, with the latter as less important.
In 2005, the Defence Committee discussed the lack of balance beween training needs and considerations for operational effectiveness, and thus made its recommendations. Ten years on, it is apparent that operational arguments, and current difficulties meeting recruiting targets, continue to prevent the armed forces from reviewing both their position on enlisting under-18s, and their recruitment practices and materials.