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</font><font face="arial" size=5><b>Army blames Iraq for drop in
recruits</b></font><font face="arial" size=3> <br><br>
</font><font face="arial" size=2><b>Lorna Martin, Scotland editor<br>
Sunday December 19, 2004<br><br>
The Observer<br>
</b>Senior army commanders have expressed fears that the increasingly
vocal anti-Iraq war movement is discouraging thousands of young men from
considering a career in the armed forces. <br><br>
They blame high-profile campaigns against the war, often led by bereaved
parents and supported by celebrities and political figures, for worsening
recruitment problems, particularly into the infantry. <br><br>
According to military sources the high media visibility of bereaved
parents, such as Rose Gentle, whose 19-year-old son was killed, and the
unpopularity of the war have made recruitment and retention a problem,
exacerbating an already acute recruitment crisis in areas such as
Scotland. The problem is now also spreading to the north of England and
Wales, forces officials say. <br><br>
As well as a shortfall in young men volunteering, army officers have
reported a wider reluctance to support a career in the army with parents
refusing to sign consent forms for junior soldiers to sign up and, in
some cases, local authorities with a strong anti-war sentiment refusing
permission for recruitment officers to put up stands at local venues.
<br><br>
According to army sources the problem is also evident in the Territorial
Army which has bolstered the regular Army's ranks in Iraq. <br><br>
'People join the Territorials for a hobby,' said another source. 'They
don't expect to end up being sent to Iraq for six months, taking
casualties and seeing a lot of killing. There is no end in sight to the
war in Iraq. That is what is really putting people off.' <br><br>
The impact of the anti-war movement has also made itself apparent in the
United States, where there has been a sharp decline in volunteers from
communities - such as the black community - that have traditionally
supplied soldiers. In the US this has been tied to a sharp increase in
desertions - a problem so far not seen in the UK. <br><br>
One senior source confirmed: 'The anti-war movement is exacerbating our
recruitment problems. The effects have been particularly noticeable in
Scotland, but are spreading to the north of England and we're beginning
to see it as well in the west.' <br><br>
New figures reveal the number of recruits joining Scotland's six
regiments has fallen sharply this year. This was one of the reasons given
last week to justify the controversial decision to merge Scotland's
regiments into one. <br><br>
Although senior officers blame social changes - including a more mobile
workforce, greater access to further education and a change in the
expectations of young people - the unpopularity of the war in Iraq is a
new and worrying factor. <br><br>
A source in one of Scotland's regiments argued against claims that there
was a recruitment crisis. 'Some of the regiments have had their
recruitment targets halved by the Ministry of Defence as part of their
plans to save money on wages and
training.'</font><font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=3> <br>
</font><div align="center"><font face="arial" size=1>Guardian Unlimited ©
Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004<br>
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