Foreign recruits increasing in British army
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
London, May 25, IRNA -- The British army has become increasingly dependent upon foreign recruits to make up for shortfalls in its targeted strength, according to figures obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
The figures, requested by the Welsh nationalist Plaid Cymru party, showed the number of overseas recruits to the army has risen annually from 30 to more than 1,400 in seven years, while Britain has been involved in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"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,” said Plaid Cymru member of the Welsh Assembly, Leanne Wood.
"Plaid Cymru consistently opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan from the very start and we maintain that troops should be brought home," Wood said.
The annual figures for the period from 2001 to 2009 showed the numbers jumped from 100 in 2005/06 to 800 the next year and reached 1,160 in 2007/08 before increasing further to 1,420 the following year.
The British army allows overseas recruits from citizens of the Irish republic and Commonwealth countries or from British dual nationals.
Shortfalls in numbers have added to complaints that the military suffered from overstretch in fighting two wars, with the latest figures across all armed forces showing in April last year there were 173,920 full-time personnel, 4,940 less than its targeted strength.
According to the BBC, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it was "proud to recruit high-quality people from countries with close ties to Britain."
"The Army will continue to ensure that it has the right calibre of people in order to maintain operational effectiveness," an MoD spokesperson was quoted as saying.
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