Army Foundation College Harrogate | |
---|---|
Active | 1947 – 1996 (as the Army Apprentices School, Harrogate) 3 August 1998 – Present |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | British Army |
Role | Phase 1 Training establishment |
Size | ~1,300 soldiers under training ~500 permanent staff |
Part of | Initial Training Group (ITG) |
Location | Uniacke Barracks, Penny Pot Lane, Harrogate HG3 2SE |
Motto(s) | Trust, Courage, Team Spirit |
Colours | Red, Yellow, Blue, Black & Green |
Commanders | |
Commanding Officer | Lt Col Mike Butler ETS |
Honorary Colonel | Col Bear Grylls OBE |
The Army Foundation College (AFC) in Harrogate, England, is the sole initial military training unit for British Army recruits who enlist aged between 16 and 17.5 years. [1]
AFC delivers two 'Phase 1' initial training courses: the 'long course' of 49 weeks, mainly for recruits in combat roles, and the 23-week 'short course' for recruits in most other roles. [1] In addition to their military training, recruits are enrolled onto basic Functional Skills courses in English, maths, and ICT. [2]
Approximately 1,200 boys and 100 girls begin training at AFC annually, of whom approximately 500 are enrolled for the infantry. [3] On average, 70% of recruits complete their course, then moving to other army units for their 'Phase 2' role-specific training. [4]
AFC is graded 'outstanding' for welfare by Ofsted but has also attracted criticism for the physical and sexual abuse of recruits, [5] [6] [7] [8] and high running costs, [9] and racist abuse against black staff. [10] [11]
The Royal Signals Apprentices School was established in Harrogate to provide military and vocational training for the Royal Corps of Signals, Royal Artillery (RA) and Royal Engineers (RE) in 1947. [12] It was renamed the Army Apprentices College in 1961 when the RA and RE were relocated, providing Royal Signals training until it closed in 1998. [12] In September 1998, the site reopened as the Army Foundation College to provide initial military training to the army's youngest other ranks trainees, aged between 16 years and 17 years, 5 months, for a range of combat arms and services. [1] [13] It was rebuilt by Jarvis under a private finance initiative contract worth £526.6 million between 2000 and 2002. [14]
Tom Moore was appointed as the first honorary colonel of the college on his 100th birthday, in recognition of his fundraising success during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. [15] [16] When acting in that capacity, he was addressed as 'Colonel Tom'. [17] In July 2024, Bear Grylls was appointed Honorary Colonel of the college. [18]
AFC delivers two Phase 1 (initial military training) courses: [1]
Despite the differing course lengths, all recruits are trained to the same standard of the Common Military Syllabus (see Selection and Training in the British Army).
There are two entry points annually, in September and March; and two graduations, in August and February. [1]
Each year, approximately 1,200 boys and 100 girls begin their army training at AFC, of whom approximately 500 are training for infantry roles. [3]
Official figures for the period from 2017–18 to 2020–21 show that, on average, 70% of recruits on the 49-week course complete their year at the college. [4]
The British Army's policy of enlisting from age 16 has been criticised for leading to lower trainee retention than is found among adult recruits. [21]
In addition to initial military training, Junior Soldiers can study Functional Skills courses in maths, English and IT at Levels 1 and 2, provided by Pearson TQ. [2] Those who already have qualifications in mathematics and English have the option to study two units of a BTEC Certificate in Public Services at Level 3, however not the full qualification. [22]
AFC's biannual passing out parades, attended by friends, family and VIPs, [23] are second only in size to Trooping the Colour. [24] Each event is usually celebrated with a flypast from the Royal Air Force, [25] a musical performance from a Royal Corps of Army Music band, and a parachute display from one of the Army's parachute display teams. [26] [27]
As of 2023 [update] , it cost £85.5 million per annum to operate AFC; [28] the cost of training an infantry soldier through AFC for Phase 1 and then at the Infantry Training Centre for Phase 2 was £170,000. [29]
Research in the United Kingdom has found that the enlistment and training of adolescent children, even when they are not sent to war, is often accompanied by a higher risk of suicide, [30] [31] stress-related mental disorders, [32] [33] alcohol abuse, [34] [35] and violent behavior. [36] [37] [38] In view of developing children's rights standards and evidence showing a detrimental impact of military training and employment on younger recruits, [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] several bodies, including the Children's Commissioners for each of the four nations of the UK and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, have also called on the armed forces to raise the minimum age of enlistment to 18. [40] [45] [46]
In response to these concerns, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has defended the current policy, stating in 2016: 'The army needs to attract school and college leavers at the earliest opportunity.' [47] In the same year, the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Nick Carter, added: '[T]he fact that our junior entry is always 100% manned is indicative of people finding that it is something that is really positive to do.' [48]
In 2018 and 2021, the education inspectorate Ofsted awarded the college an 'outstanding' grade for its duty of care. The 2021 report noted: 'Recruits speak consistently of fair and respectful treatment from all staff...' [5]
In 2021, nine investigations were opened into sexual offences against 22 girls at AFC; in one investigation, three of the suspected perpetrators were members of staff. [49] [50] The revelations were the subject of a Vice News report in July 2022. [51]
In 2023, another instructor was convicted of eight counts of disgraceful conduct of a cruel or indecent kind and one count of sexual assault, which took place over nine months between 2020 and 2021. [52]
Also in 2023, North Yorkshire Police revealed that 13 complaints of sexual assault AFC, including nine of rape, had been referred to them between July 2022 and August 2023. [8] [53]
Between 2014 and 2022, recruits made 72 formal complaints of allegations of assault or other ill-treatment by staff at the college. [6] [7] 13 of the allegations were proven following investigation, of which seven occurred since 2017. [54]
In 2021, an instructor was convicted for abusing recruits. [55] [56]
In 2017, the MOD confirmed reports that 17 instructors at AFC would be standing trial at court martial for 40 counts of alleged physical abuse of recruits during battle camp at Kirkudbright, Scotland, in 2014. [57] ForcesTV, and the Guardian reported that the allegations included assault, holding trainees' heads under water, and forcing animal dung into their mouths. [58] [59] [60] The case was reported as the British Army's largest ever investigation of abuse. [61] [62]
At a preliminary hearing in September 2017, the accused pleaded not guilty to all charges. [60] The trial in February 2018 collapsed after the judge ruled that the investigation by the Royal Military Police had been 'seriously flawed', and that a fair trial for the defendants would no longer be possible. [63]
An internal review confirmed multiple failings by the Royal Military Police. It noted that, in addition to recruits who had lodged formal complaints, 'a considerable number of JS [junior soldier recruits] who had been the subject of ill treatment / assaults' had not wished to do so. [64]
In 2024 Kerry-Ann Knight, a Black British woman and soldier with the rank of Corporal, won a settlement from the Ministry of Defence for racist and sexist abuse she suffered while in the British Army, much of which took place at the Army Foundation College. [65] Knight served in the British Army for 12 years and was once considered the "face of British army recruitment" because she appeared prominently in military recruitment advertisements across the UK. [10] In 2021 when she was the only Black British woman working in the college, fellow staff would shout "watermelon" when she approached, stack her desk with filthy crockery and boxes, loudly played Django Unchained, and post photographs of Adolf Hitler in the instructor's professional Whatsapp channel. Knight began to secretly record evidence of the abuse and captured audio of fellow staff members threatening to lynch her. [11]
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Naval Service and the Royal Air Force. As of 1 January 2024, the British Army comprises 75,166 regular full-time personnel, 4,062 Gurkhas, 26,244 volunteer reserve personnel and 4,557 "other personnel", for a total of 110,029.
Children in the military, including state armed forces, non-state armed groups, and other military organizations, may be trained for combat, assigned to support roles, such as cooks, porters/couriers, or messengers, or used for tactical advantage such as for human shields, or for political advantage in propaganda. Children have been recruited for participation in military operations and campaigns throughout history and in many cultures.
Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which resocializes its subjects for the unique demands of military employment.
The Hong Kong Military Service Corps (HKMSC) was a British army unit and part of the British garrison in Hong Kong. Throughout the history of Hong Kong, it has been the only regular British army unit raised in the territory made up almost entirely of Locally Enlisted Personnel (LEP).
Counter-recruitment refers to activity opposing military recruitment, in some or all of its forms. Among the methods used are research, consciousness-raising, political advocacy and direct action. Most such activity is a response to recruitment by state armed forces, but may also target intelligence agencies, private military companies, and non-state armed groups.
The Royal Army Physical Training Corps (RAPTC) is the British Army corps responsible for physical fitness and physical education and has been headquartered in Aldershot since its foundation in 1860. Its members are all Royal Army Physical Training Corps Instructors (RAPTCIs).
Military recruitment refers to the activity of attracting people to, and selecting them for, military training and employment.
The Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) is the locally maintained volunteer defence unit in the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory. The FIDF works alongside the military units supplied by the United Kingdom to ensure the security of the islands.
Military personnel or military service members are members of the state's armed forces. Their roles, pay, and obligations differ according to their military branch, rank, and their military task when deployed on operations and on exercise.
The Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS) is responsible for maintaining physical security at British Armed Forces locations throughout Great Britain. It is one of three constituent units of the Adjutant General's Corps Provost Branch. The Provost branch is the responsibility of the Provost Marshal who is a Brigadier from the Royal Military Police. The MPGS also works alongside the unarmed Ministry of Defence Guard Service (MGS). In Northern Ireland, armed security at Ministry of Defence establishments is provided by the uniformed civilian Northern Ireland Security Guard Service in a similar manner to that of the MPGS in Great Britain.
An army training regiment (ATR) provides Basic Phase 1 Training for all elements of the British Army, except the infantry. There are currently four army training regiments.
Selection and training in the British Army is the process by which candidates for service are identified, inducted and brought onto the trained strength. The process is the responsibility of the Home Command.
The Educational and Training Services Branch form part of the Adjutant General's Corps and have done since 1992 when this Corps of the British Army was formed. Their remit is to continue the general education of soldiers and officers alike, as well as the military training of the soldiers of the Army.
The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), also natively known as Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei (ABDB), is the collective term for all of the military forces or service branches of the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. The RBAF consists of three primary military branches; the Royal Brunei Land Force, the Royal Brunei Navy, and the Royal Brunei Air Force.
The Initial Training Group of the British Army is responsible for the content and delivery of non-infantry Phase 1 training. The group's headquarters are at Pirbright, Surrey, commanding 4 Army Training Regiments, 5 Army Training Units, the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, the Army School of Physical Training, and the ARITC Staff Leadership School. It is part of the Army Recruiting and Training Command, who are responsible for all recruiting and training prior to becoming a fully qualified soldier or officer.
Sexual harassment in the military is unwanted sexual behaviour experienced as threatening, offensive, or otherwise upsetting, which occurs in a military setting.
The Army Foundation College recruit abuse investigation 2014–2018 investigated allegations by a group of 17-year-old British army recruits that 17 instructors had maltreated them during their training over nine days in June 2014. It was reported as the British army's largest ever investigation of abuse. Among the allegations were that the instructors assaulted recruits, smeared cattle dung into their mouths, and held their heads under water. The accused were initially charged with 40 counts of battery, actual bodily harm, and other offences; all denied the charges made against them.
Sexual misconduct in the British military is unwanted sexual behaviour occurring in military organisations of the United Kingdom, including verbal and physical harassment, assault, and rape.
Operation Interflex is the operational code name for the British-led multinational military operation to train and support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is a successor to Operation Orbital (2015–2022) and began in July 2022. Unlike its predecessor, Operation Interflex takes place within the United Kingdom and is supported by contingents from international partners.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)