No, the British army should not recruit Afghan soldiers

John Simpson, the BBC’s world affairs editor, is a distinguished broadcaster whose career spans seven decades, from interviewing the exiled King Mutesa II of Buganda to covering the post-Gaddafi civil war in Libya. Like any of us, however, he is not immune from a poorly considered opinion. This week, on Twitter, he stumbled awkwardly over the notion of recruiting former Afghan soldiers into the British army:

The British Army is in serious need of recruits. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of highly motivated, SAS-trained Afghan soldiers who want to join up — but can’t because British officialdom insists they have to live in the UK for five years first. Not very sensible, surely?

— John Simpson (@JohnSimpsonNews) August 14, 2024

Simpson is not wrong in identifying a pressing crisis facing the army. Since 2012, recruitment has been managed by professional services provider Capita, and it has been a woeful experience. In a damning