Foreign recruitment in the British Army increased nearly 50 fold in just seven years, an investigation by Plaid Cymru AM Leanne Wood has revealed.
Figures released by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) under the Freedom of Information Act showed that in the 2008/09, 1420 people from overseas were recruited to the Army compared with just 30 in 2001/02.
The huge increase in foreign recruitment coincided with a period in which the British Army was reported to be struggling to attract new soldiers. At the time, the UK Government blamed the problem on the high rates of employment.
In 2006, the MOD also raised the Body Mass Index, which is a measure of somebody’s weight in relation to their height, from 28 to 32. The previous threshold was seen as a block to many potential, naturally heavy, soldiers from Fiji.
The Freedom of Information request indicated the number of foreign recruits doubled to 60 in 2002/03 and remained steady until 2006/07 when the figure jumped to 800. The following year saw 1,160 overseas personnel recruited and in 2008/09, the number rose to 1,420. The latest information for 2009/10 saw 950 recruited.
To be able to join the British Army you must either be British, have a dual British nationality, be a citizen of the Irish Republic or come from a Commonwealth country.
Leanne Wood, AM for South Wales Central said: “The British army has always used more ‘Commonwealth’ soldiers in times of conflict, but to see such a huge increase in such a short space of time is a shock.
“This paints a picture of an army being extended beyond its means with the war in Iraq initially, and then the conflict in Afghanistan which has escalated out of control in recent years.
“Do these foreign fighters see the British Army as the only way out of poverty? And if so, is this desperation being exploited?
“The UK Government recently had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into treating Ghurkha soldiers with decency. Historically, soldiers from abroad have tended to be cheaper to employ, cheaper to compensate and generally had less rights than their counterparts with a British passport even though the risks they have to take have been the same. They should be entitled to the same terms and conditions as British citizens.
“In 1921, when unveiling a memorial to Sikh and Hindu soldiers that had fought for the British Army, the Prince of Wales said ‘future generations should not forget that our Indian comrades gave their lives in … a conflict of which the issues were to most of them strange and impersonal.’
“Those words could equally apply today to some of the multi-national recruits to the British Army who find themselves in extremely dangerous situations in the unforgiving climate and terrain of the Afghanistan desert.”
Ms Wood added: “Plaid Cymru consistently opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from the very start and we maintain that troops should be brought home.
“The forthcoming Strategic Defence Review of is an opportunity for a reassessment of the role of the UK in world affairs and an opportunity for the Westminster Government to cut its cloth to fit the army’s capabilities.
“While in opposition, Nick Clegg questioned the strategy in Afghanistan and said ‘young men and women’s lives are being thrown away because our politicians won’t get their act together.’
“Will he make such vocal representations now he has cuddled up to Cameron in the Commons? Judging by the way he has ditched his party’s manifesto pledges on immigration and Trident, I am not very confident he will put his head above the parapet on this.
“Plaid Cymru also campaigned for a network of support for serving soldiers, ex-soldiers and their families to be provided. Without such support, people risk falling out of society altogether – as is borne out by the figures on the numbers of ex-service personnel in prison and living homeless on the streets.
“Having seen fit to send the armed forces to Afghanistan, the UK Labour Government had a duty of care to ensure they are properly equipped and well cared for both while in service and subsequently. They failed on both counts.
“I hope the new Lib/Con coalition in Westminster does not make the same mistakes.”
