recruitment
Armed Forces Day 2023: militarism comes to Cornwall
This year the national Armed Forces Day event is being held in Falmouth, Cornwall. Many other events are being held around the country. We outline our concerns, including how the event is marketed, its promotion to young people and schools, and the inclusion of recruitment activities that allow young children to handle weapons.
Unpicking British Army recruitment adverts
The latest British Army recruitment advert received widespread critique for innaccurate depictions of the military's role in domestic floods. We took a look at the advert and its place in the recruitment landscape.
Overselling the Military
The British Army has a new recruitment campaign. We took a critical look at its message and how the latest iteration fits within the constant need to sell the military.
The Military-Entertainment Complex
With the new Top Gun movie hitting British cinemas at the end of last month, our chief blog writer Joe Glenton reflects on the war films of his childhood and the recruitment potential of military sponsored entertainment.
Day One, Week One: Veteranhood
Excerpt from Joe Glenton's new book outlines the violence inherent in the British Army's basic training and explores what impacts this can have on mental health.
At particular risk: women and girls in the military
The Women in the Armed Forces report evidences abuse and harassment on a systemic scale. Can the gap between good intentions and bad practice ever be bridged in a military culture? As the army launches its recruitment advert aimed at women, what are the particular implications for girl recruits under 18.
Recruitment of children to the military in Welsh schools
April 2021
A new report by Cymdeithas y Cymod, ForcesWatch and the Peace Pledge Union examines the issue of military recruitment in schools in Wales – an issue steeped in controversy and on which the Welsh government made a series of commitments in a report published in June 2015, following a public petition submitted in 2012. Since then, little tangible progress has been made against those commitments, yet military recruitment visits to Welsh schools have continued undiminished.
Warrior Nation podcast – What’s wrong with Armed Forces Day?
June 2020
Militarising the crisis?
We need to tackle coronavirus with a strategy for health, care and solidarity. While military support is useful, there is little place for its approaches and culture during the UK’s Covid-19 response. Yet echoes of the military are starting to sound quite loudly as it seeks to maintain relevance.
Army dreaming
The Army are exploiting adolescent vulnerabilities and utilising crude stereotypes in order to attract record numbers of young recruits. We should be concerned about the gap between the dream sold by these advertising campaigns and the reality of military life.