British army recruiting Irish troops
Friday June 13 2008
ONE in 10 recruits now enlisting in the British army in Northern Ireland is from the Republic.
The numbers travelling across the Border to join have more than doubled in the past year, according to the British army's recruitment office in the North.
The office refused to state exactly how many, but it is understood about 600 are recruited annually.
The British Army, in a statement, indicated that 10.5pc of enlistments in Northern Ireland were from the South.
This compares with 4.5pc the previous year and 3pc in 2005/2006.
The rise in recruits from the Republic was attributed by enlistment officers to economic conditions and a change in attitude in the South towards a career in the British army.
During the Troubles there were up to 30,000 British troops in the North, but in the wake of of the peace process, troop levels have fallen to 3,000.
Traditionally, a sizeable number of potential recruits, who are rejected here by the Defence Forces, then apply to join the British army. The Defence Forces also take in around 600 a year through competitions for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service, which are generally over-subscribed.
The head of British army recruitment in Northern Ireland, Lt Col Dick Rafferty, said yesterday: "From 2003 onwards we have seen real growth, with those joining more than doubling in the last year."
- Tom Brady Security Editor
