PAGING MR. SHEEHAN

'Mum factor' is hitting Army intake (Rachel Sylvester, The Telegraph, June 3rd, 2006)

The Armed Forces are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit soldiers because of the "Mum factor" - the fear that sons and daughters will be killed in Iraq if they join up - a senior general says today.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Maj Gen Andrew Ritchie, who retired as commandant of Sandhurst in April, says that the involvement of the Army in an unpopular war and the danger on the streets of Basra and Baghdad are undermining confidence.

"It is having an effect on recruiting," he says. "There is a mum factor. Mums find Iraq deeply unpopular - they are concerned that their youngsters will be exposed to real risk and danger. That worries them. And mums are hugely influential in boys and girls joining the Army."

The “Mum factor” probably isn’t much different than it has always been. It’s the “Dad factor” that is making the difference.