recruitment

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

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?

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.

Conscription by poverty? Deprivation and army recruitment in the UK

This report from the Child Rights International Network, Conscription by poverty? Deprivation and army recruitment in the UK, states that the UK is the only country in Europe to recruit from age 16 and more soldiers are recruited at 16 than any other age.

British army targets youngest and poorest for riskiest roles

A new report from the Child Rights International Network shows that the British army is intentionally targeting young people from deprived backgrounds for the roles carrying the greatest risks in war.