UK to recruit soldiers from India, others

Faced with a large shortage of new recruits, the Theresa May government on Monday announced the lifting of a cap of 200 for annual recruitments from India and the Commonwealth nations and raised the number to 1,350.

Britain’s military is short of more than 10,000 personnel, with a report by the National Audit Office earlier this year describing the 5.7% shortfall as the “largest gap in a decade”. Gurkhas from Nepal can already join under special recruitment rules, and the latest announcement will mean more Indian and Commonwealth citizens will be considered for roles. Currently, besides Indiabased citizens, who can apply under the annual limit of 200 applicable to the entire Commonwealth, only those who have legally lived in the UK for five years are considered for roles in the military.

A limited waiver to the residency requirement was introduced in 2016 for Commonwealth personnel and this cap has been increased to 1,350 across navy, army and air force personnel.

Junior defence minister Mark Lancaster said in a statement to Parliament: “Applications will be accepted from all Commonwealth countries.” He said the reform was introduced “in light of changes to the size of our armed forces”. Commonwealth applicants will have to be aged over 18 - two years more than the minimum for Britons - so as “to mitigate the risks associated with unaccompanied minors travelling to the UK without the guarantee of a job”.

Indian and citizens from the 52 other Commonwealth states have long played crucial roles along with Britain’s armed forces, including during the two world wars. Britain already employs nearly 4,500 Commonwealth citizens in the armed forces. Lancaster said: “From Australia to Jamaica, to Fiji and South Africa, Commonwealth recruits are already playing a key role in our armed forces. So we’re stepping up the numbers of recruits from the Commonwealth, knowing that they will bring key skills and dedicated service to our military.

“Their different perspectives will also help us to enhance our cultural understanding, giving us an operational advantage over our adversaries.”

Of the 1,350 new recruits, the army expects to hire around 1,000 personnel, with the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force expecting to recruit around 300 and 50.

The Royal Navy and RAF will begin recruitment immediately, and the army in early 2019.