ForcesWatch materials
Presentations from the Militarisation in Everyday Life in the UK conference
The Militarisation in Everyday Life in the UK conference was held in London in 2013 and was organised by ForcesWatch. It brought together academics, writers, activists and campaigners concerned about the implications of the militarisation of everyday life in the UK.12 presentations were filmed. For more details and background reading, see here.
Camouflage Kids: How the military affects young people’s lives
A ForcesWatch poster showing policy, cultural and other recent developments affecting the extent of military influence in young people's lives.
The Last Ambush? Aspects of mental health in the British armed forces
This report from ForcesWatch, shows that young soldiers recruited from disadvantaged backgrounds are substantially more likely than other troops to return from war experiencing problems with their mental health. It calls for the policy of recruiting from age 16 to be reviewed so that the greatest burden of risk is not left to the youngest, most vulnerable recruits to shoulder.
Young age at Army enlistment is associated with greater war zone risks: An analysis of British Army fatalities in Afghanistan
This paper, published by ForcesWatch and Child Soldiers International, indicates that the risk of fatality in Afghanistan for British Army recruits aged 16 and completed training has been twice as high as it has for those enlisting at 18 or above.
ForcesWatch submission to Defence Select Committee Future Army 2020 inquiry
ForcesWatch's submission to the Defence Committee's inquiry Future Army 2020, which recomments an evaluation of the case for an independent review of the minimum age of recruitment into the Army with a view to recruiting only adults (aged 18 and above) in the future, looking at five reasons why the time is right for this.
One Step Forward: The case for ending recruitment of minors by the British armed forces
This report published by Child Soldiers International and ForcesWatch outlines the numerous ethical and legal concerns related to rhe recruitment of under-18s, including the disproportionately high level of risk they face and long-term consequences for their employability, as well as detailing how much more it costs than recruiting only adults.
ForcesWatch briefing: Expanding the Cadets and ‘military ethos’ in UK schools
A ForcesWatch briefing on the Government policy of expanding cadets and promoting 'military skills and ethos' in schools.
ForcesWatch briefing: Questioning the presence of armed forces in schools
This ForcesWatch briefing is for parents, students and teachers concerned with military activities in their school.