THE British Army’s “foreign legion” of soldiers recruited abroad to fill its ranks has expanded to more than one in 10 of all troops.

NonUK nationals now number about 10,430, just less than 11% of the army’s full-time troops, excluding reserves, according to new figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Some nationalities have become so numerous that they could form their own units in the manner of the Nepalese Gurkhas. The number of Fijians has reached 2,110, the strength of a small brigade. Other nationalities such as Ghanaians and South Africans have also increased to 700-800 each, enough for a battalion apiece.

Some fears have been voiced that burgeoning numbers of nonUK soldiers could foster a “mercenary” image, while other critics believe the armed forces’ British identity could be endangered.

In all, the figures show that 38 foreign nationalities are represented in the army, nearly all from the Commonwealth. These do not include the 3,600-strong Brigade of Gurkhas, recruited in Nepal.

The actual numbers could be even higher, because the Ministry of Defence (MoD) admitted it was not able to identify the nationalities of 1,140 personnel from across the armed services.

The disclosure of the figures comes as new rules were announced last Friday about the eligibility of Gurkha veterans to settle in Britain.

Those discharged before 1997 will only be allowed to stay if they fulfil a number of criteria such as completing 20 years’ service or receiving a bravery award. The decision was condemned as “insulting” by campaigners for former Gurkhas.

The army has now put a cap on the number of Commonwealth recruits in some units at 15% “in the interests of operational effectiveness”.

The influx of foreigners has helped compensate for the army’s problems in retaining British-born soldiers. It began encouraging applications from abroad 10 years ago after a requirement to have lived in Britain for five years was lifted. Army recruiting teams now visit countries such as Fiji and some Caribbean nations to help process the large numbers of applicants in advance.

The Caribbean has supplied the army’s most famous foreign-born soldier, Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry, who won a Victoria Cross in Iraq and is from Grenada.

The number of Fijians in the forces as a whole has grown from just 10 in 1999 to 2,220 in January, the figures show. One attraction for the army is the Fijians’ prowess at rugby. Last year the army’s 12-man sevens squad included 10 Fijians and a South African. Its captain, Mark Lee, was the only British player.

The Ghanaian contingent in the armed forces has expanded by 40% since 2006 and now numbers 740. Other growing contingents include 840 South Africans – up 45% in the past three years – Gambians, Malawians, St Lucians and Kenyans. Jamaicans, however, have dropped from 930 in 2006 to 600.

Excluding Gurkhas, the number of foreign and Commonwealth troops totalled 6,830, with a further 850 in the army whose nationality was unknown.

Serving Commonwealth soldiers said there were a variety of reasons for joining up. Apo Satala, a Fijian private in the Royal Regiment of Scotland, who joined the army in 2000 and is now a star rugby player, said: “Fijians have a warrior fighting spirit in them which helps in joining the army. Back home, living wasn’t to their [UK] standards. It’s good coming over, bringing your family across, schooling and all this stuff. They quite look after you from the welfare side. The only thing that affects us is the weather.” Tom Pounder, 45, grew up in South Africa before joining the British Army, including spells in the Royal Green Jackets and at Sandhurst. He is now a Territorial Army officer.

“For most of us in the Commonwealth, this is the mother country,” said Pounder. “This is where the basis for those countries’ armies has been built.”

Nick Harvey, the Liberal Democrat defence spokesman, said: “There must be some sort of natural limit to quite how far it’s desirable for this to go. One hesitates to use emotive terms like mercenaries but clearly you’re beginning to travel somewhere onto that spectrum.”

An MoD spokesman said: “The armed forces recruit the right calibre of people to maintain operational effectiveness and we welcome all British and Commonwealth nationals.”

Times Recommends

• How I lost the gift of joy for a while
• Why Ann Widdecombe has got it wrong
• Alas, it’s the end of the road for petrolheads