The Russian military has been ordered by President Vladimir Putin increase its troop strength by 170,000, to 1.3 million, as his “special military operation” against Ukraine entered its 22nd month. The staged increase is being implemented through recruitment rather than conscription. [node:read-more:link]
Defence Minister Bill Blair is “absolutely committed” to ensuring that government spending cuts will not affect his uniformed personnel, pointing out that despite recruitment shortfalls, they are being tasked to do more at home and abroad. “This support doesn't come without a cost,” he pointed out to a parliamentary committee November 23. [node:read-more:link]
With recruitment slumping, the U.S. Army is inviting personnel forced out for refusing coronavirus vaccinations to rejoin. “Former soldiers who were involuntarily separated […] may request a correction of their military records,” says Brigadier-General Hope Rampy, Army Director of Personnel Management. [node:read-more:link]
After two years of sagging recruitment which as seen its ranks decline sharply, the U.S. Army has launched long-term reforms it says are designed to transform how it attracts and retains new members. [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. Air Force will miss its active-duty recruiting goals for the first time since 1999, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall confirmed September 11. “We're almost to the end of the fiscal year, and the expectation is we're going to come in short about 10%,” he said. “I'm overall encouraged by where we are in recruiting, but we still have a lot of work.” [node:read-more:link]
The Royal Canadian Navy’s commander, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, is hopeful that this year’s Fleet Week in Halifax, which wound up September 10 after five days, will benefit overall military recruitment. “We’ve seen a recovery in terms of the number of applicants that are coming forward, but we need over 6,000 people to join the Canadian Armed Forces this year and so we’re watching the numbers quite closely and hope that we get to that target.” [node:read-more:link]
G.O.A. Tactical Industries, a Spanish company which has trained police and security forces in several Hispanic countries, is recruiting volunteers to fight for Ukraine. Applicants are paid an initial €700 for a five-day introductory training session and, if they pass muster and are deployed to Ukraine, can be paid up to €3,400 a month. [node:read-more:link]
Seventeen persons have been charged in Cuba in connection with a human trafficking ring which the authorities say lured young men to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. The prosecutor says they could face up to 30 years in prison or even be executed. [node:read-more:link]
Cubans are being recruited for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with promises not only of generous monthly pay as well as offering to help with moving to Russia and possibly even citizenship. Cuban authorities said today that they had confirmed that an alleged human trafficking ring is involved in one recruitment effort. [node:read-more:link]
After months of political infighting between the Russian high command and the Wagner Group, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Nikolai Pankov said June 10 that “volunteer formations” will be asked to sign contracts directly with the government. The head of the mercenary force said his employees would boycott any contracts. [node:read-more:link]
Legislation providing for electronic military draft notices for Russians, signed off by President Vladimir Putin, make it harder for conscripts to avoid being drawn into the war on Ukraine. They would be in addition to normal draft notice and the crackdown on dissenters would be augmented through online postings. Putin ordered a draft of some 300,000 reservists last fall but hundreds of thousands of Russians are estimated to have left the country. [node:read-more:link]
Brigadier-General Krista Brodie, who heads Canadian Armed Forces recruitment and training, continues to wrestle with a 16,000-member shortfall in the Regular and Reserve forces. She also says the CAF faces a relevancy problem because general public awareness of their role has diminished. Vacancies in urgent need of filling include medical officers, naval operators, aviation specialists, communications, and technical tradespeople. [node:read-more:link]
In a bid to reboot flagging recruitment, the Royal Canadian Navy is offering unique “no strings attached” trials to citizens and permanent residents aged 16 to 57. They have the option of a one-year full- or part-time contract in Nova Scotia or British Columbia and then the opportunity to be assigned a trade. [node:read-more:link]
A former commander of the Wagner Group used by Russia in Ukraine says it has been mistreating and killing Russian ex-convicts recruited to fight there. Andrei Medvedev, a former prison who joined Wagner in July 2022 on a four-month contract, is seeking asylum in Norway. [node:read-more:link]
Action on the Arbour Report is likely to begin soon, LGen Michel Maisonneuve and Dr Danic Parenteau provide suggestions for consideration by the different committees engaged in these changes. Read on for clarification, and more details, pursuant to comments received after publishing (Oct 2022) their five general recommendations for any review of the Canadian Military Colleges. [node:read-more:link]
