Abstract More than a century after citizen armies became an international norm, nearly two dozen states actively recruit foreigners into their militaries. Why do these states skirt the strong citizen-soldier norm and continue to welcome foreigners? To explain this practice, we first identify two puzzles associated with foreign recruitment. The first is practical: foreign recruits pose loyalty, logistical, and organizational challenges that domestic soldiers do not. The second is normative: noncitizen soldiers lie in a normative gray zone, permitted under the letter of international law but in tension with the spirit of international norms against mercenary armies. Next, we survey foreign military recruitment programs around the world and sort them into three broad types of programs, each with its own primary motivation: importing expertise, importing labor, and bolstering international bonds. We explain these categories and explore three exemplary cases in depth: Australia, Bahrain, and Israel. Our findings suggest that foreign recruitment can affect a state’s military operations by allowing militaries to rapidly develop advanced capabilities, by reducing the political risk associated with the use of force, and by expanding a state’s influence among former colonial and diaspora populations.

中文翻译：

---

非公民士兵：解释现代国家军队的外国招募

摘要 在公民军队成为国际规范一个多世纪后，近二十个国家积极招募外国人入伍。为什么这些州会绕过强大的公民士兵规范并继续欢迎外国人？为了解释这种做法，我们首先确定与外国招聘相关的两个难题。第一个是实用的：外国新兵带来的忠诚度、后勤和组织挑战是国内士兵所没有的。第二个是规范性的：非公民士兵处于规范性灰色地带，这是国际法允许的，但与反对雇佣军的国际规范精神紧张。接下来，我们调查了世界各地的外国军事招募计划，并将它们分为三大类计划，每种计划都有自己的主要动机：引进专业知识，输入劳动力，加强国际纽带。我们解释了这些类别并深入探讨了三个典型案例：澳大利亚、巴林和以色列。我们的研究结果表明，外国招募可以通过允许军队快速发展先进能力、降低与使用武力相关的政治风险以及扩大国家在前殖民地和侨民中的影响力来影响国家的军事行动。