Army recruitment officials are calling for a review of the rules on foreigners serving in the British forces after a surge of interest from Poles.Foreigners are currently barred from joining up unless they first live here for five years and become British citizens, while those from Commonwealth countries can sign up at any time. But with the Army struggling against a serious manpower shortage, senior officers revealed yesterday that the level of interest from Polish immigrant workers has prompted them to consider changes in the regulations.
The news emerged as the Army launched its latest £2million recruitment campaign.It unveiled research showing nine out of ten members of the public support Britain's soldiers - although only four out of ten back the current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.Lieutenant Colonel Paul Meldon, head of Army recruitment in London, said a significant number of Poles had made inquiries and voiced interest in joining up. He added: "Currently, they can't join up unless they live here for a few years and get a British passport - and it would need legislation to change that.
The Army needs to recruit around 15,000 soldiers a year just to maintain numbers, and for every ten people who visit recruitment offices or express interest, only one goes on to complete training and join an Army unit - meaning recruiters must attract 150,000 interested individuals every year.In the past ten years, the Army has become increasingly reliant on Commonwealth soldiers - from Fiji, South Africa and dozens of other countries - who now make up around 10 per cent of all British recruits.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a … p;ito=1490
The news emerged as the Army launched its latest £2million recruitment campaign.It unveiled research showing nine out of ten members of the public support Britain's soldiers - although only four out of ten back the current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.Lieutenant Colonel Paul Meldon, head of Army recruitment in London, said a significant number of Poles had made inquiries and voiced interest in joining up. He added: "Currently, they can't join up unless they live here for a few years and get a British passport - and it would need legislation to change that.
The Army needs to recruit around 15,000 soldiers a year just to maintain numbers, and for every ten people who visit recruitment offices or express interest, only one goes on to complete training and join an Army unit - meaning recruiters must attract 150,000 interested individuals every year.In the past ten years, the Army has become increasingly reliant on Commonwealth soldiers - from Fiji, South Africa and dozens of other countries - who now make up around 10 per cent of all British recruits.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a … p;ito=1490
