Alternate British Armed Forces stuff...

[RN7]

Does the British Armed Forces still recruit from the Commonwealth nations not recuirt troops to the Canadian Army, or Austrialian Army or Kenyan Army... but recruit them for the British Army itself

the reason I am asking, is that we know that the British recruits the Ghurkhas... couldn't the British also be using a similar program to recruit from the Commonwealth states

Recruits would gain dual citizenship status (Citizenship from their home country and British Citizenship) for their service

Until recently low unemployment in Britain led to the British armed forces, and the army in particular, having difficulty in meeting its recruitment targets. The current economic problems that the UK and the rest of the western world is having has probably made a career in the British Army a more attractive offer for many young Britons.

As recently as 2008 volunteers from the Commonwealth accounted for nearly 7% of the British Army's manpower, with soldiers from 42 different countries represented in the Army. The Gurkhas are the largest source, but there are also many volunteers from Fiji, Jamaica and some African countries. There are also recruits from developed Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, NZ and South Africa, especially in the special forces community. The Gibraltar Regiment also recruits from the local population, and there are still many Irish recruits from south of the border in the British Army's Irish units and throughout the British Army and the other services.

[natehale1971]

Yeah. whenever unemployment rates rises... you see the youth joining the armed forces because it's the only open 'starting jobs' that they think they will be able to find. While there is some evidence of that... it's at times to just be the 'easiest' road that they would see.

The truth of the matter is that they can create their own business if they are enterprising enough... i've seen it first hand. My dad went from doing six different part time jobs (and running himself into the ground) to being a General Contractor who built an amazing house on the side of a mountain that could survive pretty much anything that happened.

Using a rise in unemployment rates can definately be tied into the timeline i'm working on... Even with the UK producing weapons and equipment for many of the Commonwealth nations around the globe, unemployment outside of the defense and related industres could easily push men and women into the armed forces.