Soldiers are being paid a finders fee of £1,300 to persuade friends to join the Army in a bid to tackle a recruitment shortfall, according to newspaper reports.
Members of Infantry and Royal Artillery regiments are being tempted with the money to address a shortfall of 2,000 soldiers.
The latest figures show there were 88,450 in the Army’s ranks, nearly 2,000 down on full strength, although the officer corps was up on its planned numbers.
The conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan is said to be putting off potential new recruits.
Bounties worth £650 were introduced last autumn. The scheme produced 110 recruits, so senior officers decided to rerun the scheme this summer, starting this month, doubling the bounty to £1,300 for each recruit who passes basic training, reports The Independent.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence told the paper that recruitment was more difficult in times of economic prosperity.
“It is particularly helpful for Army recruitment because it takes a soldier to recruit a soldier,” he said.
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