Misplaced Pages

#742257

50-411: A volunteer military system or all-volunteer military system ( AVMS ) is a military service system that maintains the military only with applicants without conscription. A country may offer attractive pay and benefits through military recruitment to attract potential recruits. Many countries with volunteer militaries reserve the right to renew conscription in the event of an emergency. The Indian Army

100-424: A 2020 study suggests that the socio-economic status of U.S. Armed Forces personnel is at parity with or slightly higher than the civilian population and that the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups are less likely to meet the requirements of the modern U.S. military. A study found that technological, tactical, operational and doctrinal changes have led to a change in the demand for personnel. As an indication of

150-762: A common method of military recruitment. From the times of the British Raj , recruitment in India has been voluntary. Using Martial Race theory, the British recruited heavily from selected communities for service in the colonial army. The largest of the colonial military forces the British Indian Army of the British Raj until Military of India , was a volunteer army, raised from the native population with British officers. The Indian Army served both as

200-468: A fixed period (between four and six years is normal in the UK and US, for example ), former recruits may remain liable for compulsory return to full-time military employment in order to train or deploy on operations . From the point of their enlistment/commissioning, personnel become subject to military law , which introduces offences not recognised by civilian courts, such as disobedience. Penalties range from

250-414: A global definition appears in the working draft of Comprehensive Convention Against International Terrorism, which defines terrorism as a type of act, rather than as a type of group. Specifically, "terrorism" in the draft refers to the threatened or actual intentional injury to others, and serious damage to property resulting in major economic loss: when the purpose of the conduct, by its nature or context,

300-551: A job offer then wait for their recruit training to begin. Either at or before the start of their training, candidates swear or affirm an oath of allegiance and/or sign their joining papers. The period between the initial application to swearing the oath may be several weeks or months. During this time many candidates drop out. For example, in 2017 about 1 in 20 applicants to the British Army were eventually enlisted. Most state armed forces that enlist minors (persons under

350-439: A leadership position as a commissioned officer . Candidates who meet the criteria will normally also undergo aptitude test , medical examination , psychological interview, job interview and fitness assessment. Depending on whether the application criteria are met, and depending also on which military units have vacancies for new recruits, candidates may or may not be offered a job in a certain role or roles. Candidates who accept

400-407: A minimum period of service of several years, with the exception of a short discharge window, near the beginning of their service, allowing them to leave the armed force as of right. Part-time military employment, known as reserve service , allows a recruit to maintain a civilian job while training under military discipline for a minimum number of days per year. After leaving the armed forces, for

450-600: A national effort was reflected in World War I recruitment methods. Authors Peter A. Padilla and Mary Riege Laner define six basic appeals to these recruitment campaigns: patriotism , job/career/education, adventure/challenge, social status , travel, and miscellaneous. Between 1915 and 1918, 42% of all army recruitment posters were themed primarily by patriotism. And though other themes – such as adventure and greater social status – would play an increased role during World War II recruitment, appeals to serve one's country remained

500-627: A poster used by the German armed forces in schools reads: "After school you have the world at your feet, make it safer." [" Nach der Schule liegt dir die Welt zu Füßen, mach sie sicherer ."] In the US, recruiters have right of access to all schools and to the contact details of students, and are encouraged to embed themselves into the school community. A former head of recruitment for the British Army , Colonel (latterly Brigadier) David Allfrey, explained

550-426: A prominent, often destabilizing role in nearly every humanitarian and political crisis faced by the international community". As a new type of actor in international relations, VNSAs represent a departure from the traditional Westphalian sovereignty system of states in two ways: by providing an alternative to state governance; and by challenging the state's monopoly of violence . Phil Williams stated in 2008 that in

SECTION 10

#1732798264743

600-649: A security force in India itself and, particularly during the World Wars, in other theaters. About 1.3 million men served in the First World War . During World War II, the British Indian Army would become the largest volunteer army in history, rising to over 2.5 million men in August 1945. During both world wars and a period after the second, military service was mandatory for at least some of

650-564: A significant part of recruiter's pitches." While uniformed military recruiters screen and process recruits into the military, advertising agencies design and implement military recruitment strategy, campaigns, and advertisements: As of fiscal year 2020, Young & Rubicam was in charge of this for the Navy, Wunderman Thompson for the Marine Corps, DBB Chicago for the Army, and GSD&M for

700-608: A summary reprimand to imprisonment for several years following a court martial . Personnel may be posted to bases in their home country or overseas, according to operational need, and may be deployed from those bases on exercises or operations anywhere in the world. Perks of military service typically include adventurous training; subsidised accommodation, meals and travel; and a pension . Some armed forces also subsidise recruits' education before, during and/or after military service, subject to conditions such as an obligatory minimum period of formal military employment; examples are

750-413: Is an exception, recruiting high-achieving children from age 16 for officer training. ) The process of attracting children and young people to military employment begins in their early years. In Germany, Israel, Poland, the UK, the US, and elsewhere, the armed forces visit schools frequently, including primary schools, to encourage children to enlist once they become old enough to do so. For example,

800-432: Is conducted and a practice ASVAB exam is given to them. Applicants cannot officially swear their enlistment oath in the recruiting office. This is conducted at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). Prior to the outbreak of World War I, military recruitment in the US was conducted primarily by individual states. Upon entering the war, however, the federal government took an increased role. The increased emphasis on

850-441: Is one of the main factors attracting young people to military employment. (Thus the obsolete English-language term "bezonian" may mean "raw recruit" or "pauper". ) After the US suspended conscription in 1973, "the military disproportionately attracted African American men, men from lower-status socioeconomic backgrounds, men who had been in nonacademic high school programs, and men whose high school grades tended to be low". However,

900-525: Is the world's largest standing volunteer army. In recent decades, the trend among numerous countries has been to move from conscription to all-volunteer military forces. One significant example is in France , which has historically been the first to introduce modern conscription and whose model was followed by many other countries in Europe and elsewhere around the world. Military recruitment Across

950-399: Is to intimidate a population, or to compel a Government or an international organization to do or to abstain from doing any act. Violent non-state actors have drawn international condemnation for relying heavily on children under the age of 18 as combatants, scouts, porters, spies, informants, and in other roles (although many state armed forces also recruit children). In 2017, for example,

1000-489: The Overseas Development Institute propose that engagement with VNSAs, which they call armed non-state actors, is essential to humanitarian efforts in conflicts. They claim that it is often necessary to do so to facilitate access to those affected and to provide humanitarian assistance. However, humanitarian agencies often fail to engage strategically with VNSAs. This tendency has strengthened since

1050-699: The St Jean military college in Canada, the Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College in the UK, and the GI Bill arrangements in the US. Counter-recruitment refers to activity opposing military recruitment, or aspects of it. Among its forms are political advocacy , consciousness-raising , and direct action . The rationale for counter-recruitment activity may be based on any of the following reasons: Armed forces spokespeople have defended

SECTION 20

#1732798264743

1100-451: The US military . Violent non-state actors engage in combat in all terrains . Common and influential types of VNSAs include: Phil Williams, in an overview article, identifies five types of VNSAs: There is no commonly accepted definition of "terrorism" , and the term is frequently used as a political tactic to denounce opponents whose status as terrorists is disputed. An attempt at

1150-424: The status quo by recourse to the following: Armed forces have made effective use of short slogans to inspire young people to enlist, with themes ranging from personal development (particularly personal power), societal service, and patriotic duty . For example, as of 2017 current slogans included: A recruitment poster is a poster used in advertisement to recruit people into an organization, and has been

1200-440: The 21st century, they "have become a pervasive challenge to nation-states". Williams argues that VNSAs develop out of poor state governance but also contribute to the further undermining of governance by the state. He explains that when weak states are "unable to create or maintain the loyalty and allegiance of their populations", "individuals and groups typically revert to or develop alternative patterns of affiliation". This causes

1250-777: The Air Force. Recruitment can be conducted over the telephone with organized lists, through email campaigns and from face to face prospecting. While telephone prospecting is the most efficient, face to face prospecting is the most effective. Military recruiters often set up booths at amusement parks, sports stadiums and other attractions. In recent years social media has been more commonly used. Manigart, Philippe. "Risks and Recruitment in Postmodern Armed Forces: The Case of Belgium." Armed Forces & Society , Jul 2005; vol. 31: pp. 559–582. Dandeker, Christopher and Alan Strachan. "Soldier Recruitment to

1300-1731: The British Army: a Spatial and Social Methodology for Analysis and Monitoring." Armed Forces & Society , Jan 1993; vol. 19: pp. 279–290. Snyder, William P. "Officer Recruitment for the All-Volunteer Force: Trends and Prospects." Armed Forces & Society , Apr 1984; vol. 10: pp. 401–425. Griffith, James. "Institutional Motives for Serving in the U.S. Army National Guard: Implications for Recruitment, Retention, and Readiness." Armed Forces & Society , Jan 2008; vol. 34: pp. 230–258. Violent non-state actor In international relations , violent non-state actors ( VNSAs ), also known as non-state armed actors or non-state armed groups ( NSAGs ), are individuals or groups that are wholly or partly independent of governments and which threaten or use violence to achieve their goals. VNSAs vary widely in their goals, size, and methods. They may include narcotics cartels , popular liberation movements , religious and ideological organizations, corporations (e.g. private military contractors ), self-defence militia , and paramilitary groups established by state governments to further their interests. While some VNSAs oppose governments, others are allied to them. Some VNSAs are organized as paramilitary groups, adopting methods and structure similar to those of state armed forces . Others may be informally structured and use violence in other ways, such as kidnapping, using improvised explosive devices , or hacking into computer systems. Thomas, Kiser, and Casebeer asserted in 2005 that "VNSA play

1350-511: The British approach in 2007: Our new model is about raising awareness, and that takes a ten-year span. It starts with a seven-year-old boy seeing a parachutist at an air show and thinking, 'That looks great.' From then the army is trying to build interest by drip, drip, drip. Recruiters use action films and videogames to promote military employment. Scenes from Hollywood blockbusters (including Behind Enemy Lines and X-Men: First Class ) have been spliced into military advertising in

1400-405: The British population. At other times, techniques similar to those outlined above have been used. The most prominent concern over the years has been the minimum age for recruitment, which has been 16 for many years. This has now been raised to 18 in relation to combat operations. In recent years, there have been various concerns over the techniques used in (especially) army recruitment in relation to

1450-798: The Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (OPAC) may not conscript children at all, but may enlist children aged 16 or above provided that they are not used to participate directly in hostilities. Historically, the use of children for military purposes has been widespread—see Children in the military —but has been in decline in the 21st century. According to Child Soldiers International , as of 2017 approximately two-thirds of states worldwide had committed to restrict military recruitment to adults from age 18, and at least 60 non-state armed groups had signed agreements to stop or reduce

1500-516: The President's Commission continue to work in present-day recruitment efforts. Understanding the need for greater individual incentive, the US military has re-packaged the benefits of the GI Bill . Though originally intended as compensation for service, the bill is now seen as a recruiting tool. Today, the GI Bill is "no longer a reward for service rendered, but an inducement to serve and has become

1550-578: The UK, and US. Compared with male personnel and female civilians, female personnel face substantially higher risks of sexual harassment and sexual violence , according to British, Canadian, and US research. Some states, including the UK, US and Canada have begun to recognise a right of transgender people to serve openly in their armed forces, although this development has met with political and cultural resistance. State armed forces set minimum and maximum ages for recruitment. In practice, most military recruits are young adults; for example, in 2013

Volunteer military - Misplaced Pages Continue

1600-470: The US, for example. In the US and elsewhere, the armed forces commission bespoke videogames to present military life to children and have created the U.S. Army Esports initiative as an outreach program using esports . Many states operate military schools, cadet forces, and other military youth organisations. For example, Russia operates a system of military schools for children from age 10, where combat skills and weapons training are taught as part of

1650-540: The United Nations identified 14 countries where children were widely used by armed groups: Afghanistan, Colombia, Central African Republic , Democratic Republic of the Congo , Iraq, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, Gaza - Palestinian Territories, The Philippines, Singapore, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Not all armed groups use children, and approximately 60 that used to do so have entered agreements to reduce or end

1700-1328: The United States (US); approximately 20 were recruiting from age 16, including Brazil, Canada, and the United Kingdom (UK). Most states which recruit children under the age of 18 have undertaken not to deploy them routinely on military operations , having ratified the OPAC treaty . According to the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UNSG), in 2016 14 states were still recruiting and using children in active armed conflicts: Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The UNSG also reported that non-state armed groups were recruiting and using children in armed conflict in India, Pakistan,  Palestine, Libya, Philippines and Thailand. Cross-cultural studies suggest that, in general, children and young people are drawn to military employment for similar reasons: war, economic motivation, education, family and friends, politics, and identity and psychosocial factors. The hope of escaping socio-economic deprivation

1750-460: The age of 18) are required by law to obtain the informed consent of one or both parents or legal guardians before their child's enlistment can take place. In practice, consent is indicated on a form, which parents/guardians sign. Once enlistment has taken place, recruits are subject to military terms of service and begin their initial training . Recruits enter a binding contract of service, which for full-time personnel typically requires

1800-788: The average age of a United States Army soldier beginning initial training was 20.7 years. Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child , a child means a person aged under 18. The minimum age at which children may be recruited or conscripted under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is 15. States which have ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of

1850-566: The committee noted that recruitment efforts would have to be intensified, as new enlistees would need to be convinced rather than conscripted . Much like the post-World War II era, these new campaigns put a stronger emphasis on job opportunity. As such, the committee recommended "improved basic compensation and conditions of service, proficiency pay, and accelerated promotions for the highly skilled to make military career opportunities more attractive." These new directives were to be combined with "an intensive recruiting effort." Finalized in mid-1973,

1900-454: The curriculum. The UK is one of many states that subsidise participation in cadet forces , where children from age 12 play out a stylised representation of military employment. The United States offers Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps to high school students as an extracurricular activity. Armed forces commission recruitment advertising across a wide range of media, including television, radio, cinema, online including social media,

1950-416: The dominant selling point. In the aftermath of World War II military recruitment shifted significantly. With no war calling men and women to duty, the United States refocused its recruitment efforts to present the military as a career option, and as a means of achieving a higher education. A majority – 55% – of all recruitment posters would serve this end. And though peacetime would not last, factors such as

2000-564: The end of the Cold War, partly because of the strong discouragement of humanitarian engagement with VNSAs in counterterrorism legislation and donor funding restrictions. In their opinion, further study is necessary to identify ways in which humanitarian agencies can develop productive dialogue with VNSAs. The International Security Department and the International Law Programme at Chatham House are seeking to understand

2050-591: The family, tribe, clan or other group to become "the main reference points for political action, often in opposition to the state". According to Williams, globalization has "not only... challenged individual state capacity to manage economic affairs, it has also provided facilitators and force multipliers for VNSAs". Transnational flows of arms, for example, are no longer under the exclusive surveillance of states. Globalization helps VNSAs develop transnational social capital and alliances as well as funding opportunities. The term has been used in several papers published by

Volunteer military - Misplaced Pages Continue

2100-543: The following ways: Typically, candidates for military employment apply online or at a recruitment centre. Many eligibility criteria normally apply, which may be related to age, nationality, height and weight ( body mass index ), medical history , psychiatric history, illicit drug use , criminal record , academic results , proof of identity , satisfactory references, and whether any tattoos are visible. A minimum standard of academic attainment may be required for entry, for certain technical roles, or for entry to train for

2150-513: The move to an all-volunteer military would ultimately keep career-oriented recruitment efforts in place. The Defense Department turned to television syndication as a recruiting aid from 1957 to 1960 with a filmed show, Country Style, USA . On February 20, 1970, the President's Commission on an All-Volunteer Armed Force unanimously agreed that the United States would be best served by an all-volunteer military. In supporting this recommendation,

2200-513: The portrayal of such a career as an enjoyable adventure. The American military has had recruiters since the time of the colonies in the 1700s. Today there are thousands of recruiting stations across the United States, serving the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force. Recruiting offices normally consist of 2–8 recruiters between the ranks of E-5 and E-7. When a potential applicant walks into a recruiting station his or her height and weight are checked and their background investigated. A fingerprint scan

2250-796: The practice since 1999. For example, by 2017 the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Philippines had released nearly 2,000 children from its ranks, and the FARC-EP guerilla movement in Colombia agreed in 2016 to stop recruiting children. In other situations, the use of children was increasing in 2017, particularly in Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria and Syria, where Islamist militants and groups opposing them intensified efforts to recruit children. Researchers at

2300-585: The press, billboards, brochures and leaflets, Employment websites and through merchandising . Recruiters use civic space to promote their military organisation. Among the methods used are recruitment stalls in public spaces, air shows ; military amusement parks , such as Patriot Park in Russia; national days, such as the Belgian national day and military parade ; and annual armed forces days . Recruitment marketing seeks to appeal to potential recruits in

2350-431: The recruitment of a "professional" military was met with success. In 1975 and 1976, military enlistments exceeded expectations, with over 365,000 men and women entering the military. Though this may, in part, have been the result of a lack of civilian jobs during the recession, it nevertheless stands to underline the ways in which recruiting efforts responded to the circumstances of the time. Indeed, recommendations made by

2400-537: The socio-economic background of British Army personnel, as of 2015 three-quarters of its youngest recruits had the literacy skills normally expected of an 11-year-old or younger, and 7% had a reading age of 5–7. The British Army's recruitment drive in 2017 targeted working-class families with an average annual income of £10,000. Recruitment for officers typically draws on upwardly-mobile young adults from age 18, and recruiters for these roles focus their resources on high-achieving schools and universities. (Canada

2450-463: The use of children for military purposes. The organization reported that the so-called Straight 18 standard – the restriction of all military employment to adults – had been emerging as a global norm since 2001. However, Child Soldiers International also reported in 2018 that at least 46 states were recruiting personnel below the age of 18. Most of these states were recruiting from age 17, including Australia, China, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia and

2500-653: The world, a large majority of recruits to state armed forces and non-state armed groups are male. The proportion of female personnel varies internationally; for example, it is approximately 3% in India, 10% in the UK, 13% in Sweden, 16% in the US, and 27% in South Africa. While many states do not recruit women for ground close combat roles (i.e. roles which would require them to kill an opponent at close quarters ), several have lifted this ban in recent years, including larger Western military powers such as France,

#742257