From: Topposter@   
      
   Drugs, desertion leave Army short of soldiers   
   By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent   
   Last Updated: 2:23am BST 30/03/2008   
      
      
   The Army's most hard-pressed fighting units are losing more than 1,000   
   troops a year through drug abuse and desertion.   
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   A document leaked to The Sunday Telegraph states that 45 per cent of those   
   caught taking drugs in the Army were serving in the infantry and, of those,   
   75 per cent had been using cocaine or ecstasy.   
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   Finding recruits of the right calibre is becoming increasingly difficult   
   with a "youth culture more open to drugs and less inclined to short-term   
   commitment", the report adds.   
      
   The document also discloses that 2,200 infantrymen are leaving voluntarily   
   each year. The document blames the loss of troops on the number of   
   operational tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and the impact overseas service is   
   having on family life.   
      
   Absence without leave and desertion are also identified in the report as   
   being responsible for troop shortages and the problem is worse in the   
   infantry, which, with about 25,000 soldiers, makes up a quarter of the Army.   
      
   The report states that manning is second only to operations in terms of   
   priorities for General Sir Richard Dannatt, the Chief of the General Staff.   
      
   But it is the rise of the number of soldiers taking drugs that appears to be   
   causing the most concern.   
      
   The report, entitled Infantry Manning and Recruiting, states: "Drugs   
   continue to be of increasing concern for the Army - particularly for the   
   infantry. Forty-two per cent of all positive tests (Compulsory Drug Test)   
   have been in the infantry this year and 72 per cent of those caught are for   
   Class A drugs - predominantly cocaine and ecstasy. The trend is showing   
   signs of increasing and this cannot be ignored."   
      
   Last month, this newspaper disclosed that record numbers of recruits were   
   dropping out of basic training. The Army is almost 4,000 soldiers under   
   strength, with about 10,000 troops unfit for front-line duty.   
      
   More than 20,000 troops left the Services last year and now the Army is   
   trying to improve retention by offering soldiers £15,000 "golden handcuff"   
   bonuses if they serve for eight years. Other retention initiatives include   
   Ministry of Defence (MoD) sponsored mortgages. School leavers will also be   
   offered bursaries worth up to £2,000 in an effort to improve Army   
   recruitment.   
      
      
   "   
      
   --   
   Socrates taught his students that the pursuit of truth can only begin once   
   they start to question and analyze every belief that they ever held dear. If   
   a certain belief passes the tests of evidence, deduction, and logic, it   
   should be kept. If it doesn't, the belief should not only be discarded, but   
   the thinker must also then question why he was led to believe the erroneous   
      
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