Army Marketing Misleads Recruits, Warns new Report

Children as young as seven targeted with a glamorised view of warfare

Potential new recruits to the army are subjected to a misleading picture of life in the military, according to a new report backed by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, launched today.

Advertisements and recruitment literature glamorise warfare, omit vital information and fail to point out the risks and responsibilities associated with a forces career, says the report. ìInformed Choice? Armed Forces and Recruitment Practice in the UKî states that:

For every two 16 to 22 year olds joining the army, one is leaving

In 2007, 48% of all soldiers found army life to be worse than expected, with only 20% thinking it was better

The UK is the only EU state to recruit 16 year olds and children as young as seven are targeted by recruiters
Recruiters often donít meet the parents of minors

More than 2billion is invested annually in training; most of this is used to train approximately 20,000 new recruits who replace those who leave each year

Many recruits enlist without fully understanding their legal obligations; literature fails to mention that unless they leave within six months of enlisting, minors have no legal right to leave for four years.

The report recommends sweeping changes to armed forces recruitment policies including: a new Charter setting out the stateís responsibilities; a radical review of recruitment literature; phasing out recruitment of minors; and new rights for recruits to leave service.

Only when these changes are made, it says, will potential recruits be able to exercise their right to make an informed choice about enlisting. A new website, also funded by the JRCT and going live today, aims to give ëindependent and fair information about the benefits, risks and terms of service of a career in the armed forcesí. Concerned parents and potential recruits can access it at www.beforeyousignup.info.

ìInformed Choice?î concludes that the armed forces:

- Largely fail to inform recruits about the risks of a forces career
- Curtail recruitsí rights to withdraw their consent from employment
- Largely depend on the socially and economically vulnerable to enlist for negative reasons
- Recruit minors without adequate safeguards.

Peace and Security analyst and the reportís author, David Gee, says that the armed forces glamorise the ëaction man and woman aspects of forces lifeí. He says:

ìA career in the armed forces can provide young people with opportunities. But there are risks and legal obligations that donít exist in civilian life. It is therefore vital that potential recruits fully understand what they are getting into and can make an informed choice about whether to enlist. The action man and woman picture does not tell the whole story.

ìThe armed forces have a poor retention record, partly because they promise recruits more than they can deliver, so thousands end up wanting to leave as soon as possible. Not only will a more balanced and honest approach to recruitment ensure that those who join do so for the right reasons, it will also help reduce the huge resources spent on replacing personnel.î