Major Eddie Lamb, who will become the new regiment commanding officer, has poured scorn on plans to cut conscription and move to a professional force.

He said reducing serving terms from three to two years, as mentioned in the review of the regiment released in 2000, would weaken the army's effectiveness in dealing with national emergencies.

He said: "A shortened time would limit the ability to obtain people.

"In order to keep guys within the system I recommend three years continue. There are certain numbers of people you need on the ground."

He said first year recruits had limited skills and it was not until their second and third years that they became more useful.

Maj. Lamb added: "And a professional army would be an expensive venture."

He explained unless there were good incentives to join it would be difficult to get people to sign up, adding: "Conscription is the only way to go."

And he suggested that conscription could be mandatory for all 18 years olds to take the randomness out of the system.

Conscientious objectors could serve in hospices and rest homes suggested Major Lamb.

The 41-year-old said he would be seeking to boost the profile of the regiment when he takes over from Lieutenant Colonel David Gibbons in November.

He said: "It's important the Regiment does a better job with its own P.R."

He said the army did community work which often went unnoticed such as painting a rest home last year.

"It seems to me individuals misunderstand what it does. It is not a blood and guts type of army," he said.

"We are not training soldiers to kill, it has more of a community role assisting in internal calamities such as national security and internal disasters."

He said recruits who do not want to carry weapons could work in other areas and pick up valuable life skills.

He said: "Medics can get CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation and EMT (emergency medical technician) qualified or you could join the signallers and learn about communications."

Plans to boost the marine role of the army will be brought to the fore said Major Lamb.

He said: "We have not expanded this as one would have hoped, there was a lot of enthusiasm to expand and work with Police, Customs and Agriculture and Fisheries.

"There were financial considerations but is still very much a possibility we will expand. It is still very much on the cards, we just need to run with it."

Major Lamb, who is human resources manager for Shell, said he had been a reluctant recruit but skills learned in the Regiment had helped him immeasurably in civvie street.

"I would not be anywhere near where I am in my private life if it wasn't for the army."

He said recruits in the non-commissioned officers cadre learned about time management, supervising, organising and leadership.

He said racial divisions, which had split Warwick camp in recent times, were now a thing of the past.

He said: "Issues are not the same as they were two or three years ago. Anyone who knows me knows I am a forward thinking individual. From what I can recall that issue was made by the assertions of one or two people."