MoD merger plans would harm Army recruitment
18 March 2005

The revelation in the documents, released under the Freedom of Information Act, has led campaigners fighting to save Scotland's regiments from amalgamation, to accuse Government ministers of hypocrisy.

Many Scottish soldiers, both serving and retired, warned the MoD that the decision to do away with the traditions of centuries-old regiments would deter potential recruits and encourage serving soldiers to resign.

When the merger was announced, Mr Hoon repeatedly dismissed those arguments as unfounded. But MoD briefing documents prepared for other Whitehall departments, including the Scotland Office, show that the government accepted that the loss of regimental identities could damage recruitment and the retention of experienced soldiers.

One of the most controversial aspects of these proposed infantry changes, was the decision to preserve the five Guards regiments from amalgamation. At the time of the announcement, the MoD said the Guards were spared because of their ceremonial duties for the Royal Family.

But the MoD paper, written to help officials prepare for media enquiries about the decision, suggested another reason.

"[We] have accepted advice that there is an overriding recruiting argument to retain the individual battalion identities [of the Guards] and that ... any change to titles or structure would impact adversely on recruitment and retention," it stated.

Elsewhere, under the heading "Effect on Recruiting", the document suggested that there would be future recruitment problems across the army, arising from the restructuring. It stated: "[We] realise that a period of change is ahead of us and that this may require some time to adjust."

It emerged this month that recruitment to the Army in Scotland has fallen significantly since the MoD first admitted its intention to amalgamate the Scottish regiments.

The Scottish Regiments took on 479 recruits in 2004, down from 528 in 2000. This is well below the 600 annual recruits the six regiments need to cover the natural wastage from soldiers leaving the service. In all, the Scottish Division is at 90 per cent of its optimum strength of 3,280.

Adam Ingram, the armed forces minister, infuriated campaigners in January when he said recruitment in Scotland had been "slightly depressed", but blamed the fall on the coverage given to the Save the Scottish Regiments campaigners. Other commentators have attributed the War in Iraq, the problems at Deepcut and the impending demise of Scotland's famous regiments as being the most significant causes of the drop in recruitment.