Reduced Service To Meet Troop Shortage

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30939, 21 December 1965, Page 1

Reduced Service To Meet Troop Shortage

(From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, Dec. 20. A short enlistment period so that members of the territorial forces can join the regular army for overseas service is expected to be announced soon by the Defence Department.

This is the result of . discussion on methods to improve the number of men available for service with the Ist Battalion in Malaysia and the battery in South Vietnam. Serving territorials who have reached a recommended standard of training would be offered a two-year enlistment, which would include one year overseas.

A recruit may enlist in the regular army at present for five years or three years. Up to one year of this would be recruit training. Some defence authorities believe that young men who would otherwise be keen to serve overseas do not enlist because of the length of service required.

The possibility of a two-year term has been considered—but some regard this as impractical for untrained recruits. The offer to territorials is based on the need for building a closer link between territorial and regular units. New Zealand's defence plan envisages brigade groups made up of part-regular and partterritorial units.

The main immediate reason for the offer, however, is the near-failure of regular army recruiting. Earlier this year it was reported that the acceptance rate for Malaysia in the previous six months had been 30 soldiers a month, whereas the battalion then required 134 replacements a month. SOME IMPROVEMENT Since then the position has improved slightly but is still marginal. Legislation lowered the minimum age at which a soldier might be sent overseas to 20, or 19 with parental consent. The revised pay rates and conditions have also been announced, but are not believed to have had much effect on recruiting. The pre-Christmas period Is probably the worst for recruiting. The plan is usually to start the New Year with a recruiting drive which would become Its most effective towards Easter.

The present situation, as it concerns the regular army, is somewhat better than it was last March but it is not good enough. Since April 1 the average number of recruits accepted monthly had been 49. FEW LEFT I This means that the 350 men needed to replace those just returned from Malaysia are available, but that the number of fully-trained men left in Burnham Camp is small. “The fact is that we are on a shoestring for regular anny recruits," a defence authority said today. “It is a dangerous situation to be in. We know that if things did reach a crisis, there would be volunteers aplenty; unfortunately, that could be too late.

“This situation is one of small emergencies—and too often of small losses which are scarcely noticed. There is no big emergency to rouse the volunteer—just a job to be done,” he said.