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Should gamers be accountable for in-game war crimes?

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The Red Cross has told the BBC that it wants military-themed video games to adhere to real-life international laws

Don’t shoot the civilians. This is something military games have been telling us for many years. I remember my first go on Taito’s explosive arcade title Operation Wolf – it was the late-80s and this frenzied blast-’em-up, with its jungle environment and hostage rescue missions, was clearly gunning for a generation of Rambo II fanatics. It even let you control the action with an Uzi-style sub-machine gun bolted to the cabinet. But what it wouldn’t let you do was kill passing civilians: collateral damage of this sort took a big chunk off your health bar.

Of course, this was really more about mechanics than ethics: players were being tested on their reactions and visual awareness, and failure meant a reduction in game time rather than a few moments’ reflection on innocent victims. These days, if you accidentally (or otherwise) shoot a civilian or comrade in a military shooter, you’ll probably get a ‘mission failed’ message and a one-way trip back to the last checkpoint. What you won’t get is a military tribunal and a dishonorable discharge.

In a BBC news report earlier this week, however, Francois Senechaud from the International Committee of the Red Cross told a reporter that, due to the increasing verisimilitude between first-person shooters and real-life combat, games should start to abide by the international laws of armed conflict.… Read more

Anti-war activists battle to get their voices heard in WW1 centenary events

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Campaigners challenge ‘glorious conflict’ narrative and plan to highlight treatment of conscientious objectors

Anti-war activists, pacifists and others are challenging the narrative of the official programme marking the centenary of the first world war with an alternative range of activities, some of which have received government funds.

They include an event to remember conscientious objectors, which is being financed with £95,800 in lottery funding allocated to the pacifist organisation that distributes white poppies.

The “No Glory” campaign, backed by anti-war activists and high-profile supporters, such as the actors Jude Law and Alan Rickman and the poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, intend to hold a concert next year at the Barbican in London.

“What those of us involved in this are concerned about is that the war will be presented as something glorious and part of our national heritage, when it isn’t really. It was a total disaster that was unnecessary and destroyed a generation,” said Brian Eno, the composer and musician.

Eno said he was interested in creating something based on the testimonies of soldiers in the best-selling book, Forgotten Voices of the Great War, which was written by historian Max Arthur with the Imperial War Museum.

“They are simple transcripts of soldiers remembering what happened to them.… Read more

Young soldiers ‘more likely to die’

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Soldiers serving in Afghanistan who joined the Army at 16 are twice as likely to die than those who joined at 18 or above, a new report has claimed. Human rights groups Child Soldiers International and Forces Watch, who were behind the study, said the increased risk reflected the “disproportionately high” number of 16-year-olds who join front-line infantry roles.
Soldiers serving in Afghanistan who joined the Army at 16 are twice as likely to die than those who joined at 18 or above, a new report has claimed.

Human rights groups Child Soldiers International and Forces Watch, who were behind the study, said the increased risk reflected the “disproportionately high” number of 16-year-olds who join front-line infantry roles.

The Army’s recruitment policies drive young people with limited academic qualifications into the most dangerous roles because they are unable to enter less risky support or technical positions, the report’s authors said. A greater number of tours of duty in Afghanistan by soldiers who joined the Army at 16 was also a probable contributing factor, they added.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it disputed the figures and claimed it was “wrong and misleading” to suggest that the Army channels minors into the most dangerous roles.

… Read more

ForcesWatch response to the Ministry of Defence’s statement, 22 August 2013

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In response to the paper, ‘Young age at Army enlistment is associated with greater war zone risks’, published by ForcesWatch and Child Soldiers International (August 2013), the Ministry of Defence have issued a statement containing a number of claims all of which are either inaccurate or not relevant to the study’s findings.  Here we respond to each claim in turn.

MoD: The report uses estimated figures for some soldiers.
The study is based on 209 fatalities among British soldiers in Afghanistan.  For 199 of these, the enlistment ages and enlistment dates were known and we could assign them to their enlistment age groups accordingly.  For the remaining 10 individuals, the enlistment age group was uncertain but could be estimated based on the year of birth and date of enlistment.  We ran the calculations including and excluding these 10 individuals and the results were the same.  So the report does use some estimated figures but its results do not depend on these.

MoD: The figures are not recognised, not correctly sourced, and not based on official statistics.
We used official Ministry of Defence statistics throughout (including published intake data for the ten years we investigated and the official fatalities listing on the MoD website) with the exception of data on 27 individuals (13% of total) whose date of birth and/or date of enlistment was not recorded in the official fatalities listing. … Read more

Youngest Army recruits pay highest price in Afghanistan, new report shows

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The risk of fatality in Afghanistan for recruits who enlisted into the British Army aged 16 and completed training has been twice as high as it has for those enlisting at 18 or above, according to a study published today on behalf of human rights groups Child Soldiers International and ForcesWatch. The authors believe the increased risk reflects the disproportionately high number of 16 year olds who join front-line Infantry roles.

Soldiers who enlisted at 16 have faced twice the risk of death in Afghanistan

Read the ForcesWatch response to the Ministry of Defence’s statement about this report

The risk of fatality in Afghanistan for recruits who enlisted into the British Army aged 16 and completed training has been twice as high as it has for those enlisting at 18 or above, according to a study published today on behalf of human rights groups Child Soldiers International and ForcesWatch.

The authors believe the increased risk reflects the disproportionately high number of 16 year olds who join front-line Infantry roles. This is the result of recruitment policies which drive young people with limited academic qualifications into the Army’s most dangerous roles. Those who enlist at 16 are effectively barred from entering many of the less risky support or technical roles due to lack of qualifications.… Read more

The Armed Forces Covenant in Action? Part 4: Education of service personnel

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A new House of Commons Defence Committee report calls for improvements in service education and asks for further information is needed on why the Army is so dependent on recruiting personnel under the age of 18 years compared to the other two Services, and whether steps are being taken to reduce this dependency.

Ofsted inspections

Ofsted conducted a series of inspections on Army Apprenticeships in 2013. The inspections rated the overall effectiveness as good which was an improvement over the last inspection in 2009, rated as satisfactory (now called ‘requires improvement’). Ofsted inspections of other establishments in 2013 showed a small improvement on 2012-three were rated as outstanding but two required improvement. The Committee calls for improvements so that all establishments are rated at least good and more establishments, apprenticeships schemes  and courses are rated as outstanding. The MoD has been told to provide the Committee with plans to address the areas for further improvement identified by Ofsted and its recommendations.

New recruits

The Committee looked into the education of new recruits. The minimum entry age is 16 years of age, the earliest school leaving age. Some 28 per cent of Army recruits are less than 18 years of age, whereas the Naval Service only recruited five per cent and the Royal Air Force (RAF) eight per cent.… Read more

Almost 40% of army recruits have reading age of 11, MPs warn

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Almost two-fifths (39%) of recruits to the Army have the reading ability of an 11-year-old or lower, MPs have warned.

A similar proportion (38%) can only do maths aimed at pupils in their last year of primary school, says a Commons Defence Select Committee report.

The report also raises concerns that 28% of army recruits are aged under 18.

The Ministry of Defence said the armed forces were among the largest training providers in the UK, with “excellent completion and achievement rates”.

The research, which examined the education of service personnel, found that the Army, Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy had a reasonable record in improving the maths and English skills of young recruits and trainees who joined up with low levels of qualifications.

It says the minimum entry requirement for new recruits is “entry level 2”, which is the equivalent to the standard expected of a seven- or eight-year-old in literacy and numeracy.

It found all of those who joined the Royal Navy or the RAF in 2012 were above entry level 2.

But 3.5% of army recruits had reading levels at this standard, while 1.7% had this level of ability in maths.

Furthermore, 39% of the army recruits had a literacy level at or below the standard expected for an 11-year-old, and 38% had this level of ability in numeracy.… Read more

Ex-troops without degrees to train as teachers

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Former armed forces personnel without degrees will be fast-tracked into teaching in England under a new government programme.

The Troops to Teachers scheme will help “highly skilled” former military personnel become teachers within two years.

Education Minister David Laws said ex-members of “our inspiring armed forces” could make great teachers.

Teaching unions doubted whether two years’ training would be enough.

According to the Department for Education (DfE), service leavers without degrees “will be the only people able to start training as a teacher without a degree and be qualified within two years”.

‘Outstanding’ potential

The DfE stressed that the scheme would use a rigorous assessment, selection and recruitment process to identify those “with the potential to become outstanding teachers”.

From January 2014 those selected for the scheme will earn a salary, training four days a week on-the-job in classrooms around England and one day at university.

After two years’ training they will count as ‘newly qualified teachers’ and will have gained an honours degrees in education, specialising either as secondary school subject teachers or as primary teachers.

A DfE spokesman stressed that top military specialists often have relevant experience, particularly in science and technology which could help redress the shortage of teachers in some subjects.… Read more

Last of the boy soldiers? Bid to end centuries of tradition by banning the Army from recruiting under-18s

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Sir Nick Harvey describes policy is ‘increasingly anachronistic’; Believes 16 and 17-year-olds more likely to die or be seriously wounded; Also claims millions of pounds is wasted due to high drop-out rates

  • Sir Nick Harvey describes policy is ‘increasingly anachronistic’
  • Believes 16 and 17-year-olds more likely to die or be seriously wounded
  • Also claims millions of pounds is wasted due to high drop-out rates

A former Defence Minister has called for the British Army to stop recruiting ‘boy soldiers’ – a move that would bring an end to centuries of military tradition.

Sir Nick Harvey says letting 16 and 17-year-olds join the Forces is outdated. He claims they are more likely to die or be seriously wounded, and that millions of pounds are wasted due to high drop-out rates.

The issue will be discussed in the Commons on Tuesday and could eventually lead to a ban on enlistment of those  under 18. According to military watchdog Forces Watch, of the 22,000 recruits who join up each year, 4,700 are boys and girls under 18 and 80 per cent choose the Army over the RAF or Navy.

Lib Dem MP Sir Nick, who was the Armed Forces Minister until last September, described the current recruitment policy as ‘increasingly anachronistic’.… Read more

Conscientious objector Joe Glenton on being jailed for refusing to fight

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Joe Glenton, a former soldier in the British army, has served his country and risked his life in Afghanistan.

He’s also been called a coward. The reason? After returning to Britain after his first tour of Afghanistan, he became a conscientious objector (CO) and refused to go back.

‘It’s not like you make a choice to be a conscientious objector,’ he said. ‘It’s something that develops over time and goes against the grain of your being.’

Glenton, now 31 and author of Soldier Box, published today, was 23 when he went to Kandahar in 2006 as a logistics specialist and driver.

He’d joined the army, he says, like many, to earn money, as ‘a way out of a boring lifestyle and menial labour’ and also to serve his country, ‘the idea of Britain as a force for good, liberty and democracy’.

His tour lasted seven months. His experiences changed how he saw Britain’s involvement in Afghanistan.

‘We knew civilians were being bombed and how the war was being conducted,’ he said. ‘It was conducted in a climate of racism and indifference to the Afghan people, completely at odds with how it’s sold at home. I came back and because of those things, I thought, “No, this isn’t right”.’… Read more