A pressure group calling for the abolition of conscription has put forward a three-point plan to enable the Bermuda Regiment to transfer to a volunteer fighting force.

Larry Marshall, who heads up Bermudians Against the Draft, said it was essential for the Regiment to provide appropriate pay, treatment and training in order to attract volunteers.

The Regiment currently calls up around 200 young men each year for military training through conscription. And although Government has pledged to abolish the practice, it has not yet given a timeline as to when the annual call to arms will be phased out.

In a letter to the Security and Defence Review Committee, Mr Marshall claimed recruits were paid poor wages “because they have no choice in the matter”.

And he said it was essential for the Regiment to become “a place where young men and women want to be, as opposed to somewhere they have to be”.

“In order to attract volunteers it would be necessary to offer pay on a level comparable to the other essential services such as the police, fire, and prison services,” Mr Marshall said.

“This is not only beneficial to the soldiers, but it is also the right thing to do for a number of reasons. To put this in perspective, consider what type of police service we would have if the wages offered were as low as what conscripts are presently paid?”

He suggested raw recruits should be paid around $30 an hour during Boot Camp, and $500 for each weekend training camp.

“Historically the Regiment has never come close to reaching its full potential simply because it has been hamstrung by the current system, more specifically the low wages,” Mr Marshall said.

“Moving forward the current Government must rectify this by providing good wages.”

He said better training in soldiering skills, such as shooting and riot control, needed to be provided if the Regiment was to fulfil its role as an internal and external security task force, and that music students could be taken on to perform in the Regiment band.

“Irrespective of what role they specialise in, an overall physical fitness programme will be incorporated — at present this does not appear to be the case,” Mr Marshall said.

“The reformed Regiment would require one to be physically fit for the obvious reason. If one is to defend their country they must be fit. The other essential services mandate fitness and this same criteria should be met by our soldiers.

“One way to enhance this fitness programme would be to enter regiment teams in various sporting leagues such as football, basketball and hockey.”

And Mr Marshall was highly critical of the treatment of recruits, calling for an end to “insults and filthy language”.

“This does not mean toughness is sacrificed in the process,” he said.

“You can produce tough soldiers without the abuse, as the police service training programme proves. Also consider that the US forces as well as those in Britain have actually moved away from this type of treatment. These are countries which have soldiers currently serving in war zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The problem has been that many in Bermuda have become so accustomed to conscription that they can’t see it’s abolition as a positive. What is interesting to note is that in 1971 Gibraltar made the transition from a conscript army to a volunteer army and are now head and shoulders above the Regiment.”