Buying oneself out of the army

[tonym]

A quote from an article I read at timesonline.co.uk:

"...with more than 5,370 infantry soldiers buying themselves out of the army in the past three years rather than be posted back to Iraq or Afghanistan..."

I read this and I thought, wow, a British soldier can buy himself out of the army?

I've never heard of this practice. Can anyone elaborate on it?
Like, how much does it cost?

It seems like such a nifty idea. I'm fascinated.

My Google-fu is weak. I could find no information online.

Tony M

 

[DaveStebbins]

I can't speak to the British version, but it sounds better than the US version, which involves rich relatives getting friends to pull strings. At least with the British version the government would get something in return.

-Dave
(who is not going any further with this...)

 

[Darth K'Trava]

It's definitely something different than our "version"...

 

[The_Universe]

I don't think the american system has any equivalent in the modern military, though it certainly had something similar in the past (though that's gone by the wayside since the American Civil War). I find it hard to believe that any professional army still allows the option, but I suppose it might.

 

[Umbran]

I find it hard to believe that any professional army still allows the option, but I suppose it might.

Why? Frequently, in an operational sense, it can be better to have a chunk of cash to spend than an extra man.

I blieve the Turkish army has at least a partial equivalent. They have a period of mandatory service for every male citizen. If the person wants to fork over some cash, they can shorten the required period.

 

[WayneLigon]

Sounds like a good idea. Anyone have an idea of how much it is? It sounds like a pretty civilized idea; someone joins up, sees that they can't take it or that it's not what they thought it would be, pays back the cost of their training and leaves. That way you're not depending on someone who'd really rather not be there.

 

[the Jester]

Scutage??

 

[Wombat]

Scutage??

The medievalist in me purrs whenever I hear words like this

I wonder if this is a case of the military puts up X amount for schooling and/or training and the person in question would have to return an equivalent amount. Hard to say.

I know it used to be possible to purchase an officer's commission in many armies, but that practice pretty much ended by the latter 19th century...

 

[Aeric]

I remember reading about the U.S. doing this during the Civil War...perhaps a search for that might help to narrow your field.

 

[mojo1701]

Man, this happened tonight on "Arrested Development":

[sblock]Buster was re-enlisted into the army (through some fast-talking trickery by an Army sergeant) and he found out that the only way to get out of the army was to get someone else to enlist in his place.[/sblock].