Lord William Hague, a former British Foreign Secretary and Conservative Party leader, is urging the government to introduce a modern form of the universal draft as the country further embroils itself in wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Hague, now a lawmaker in the House of Lords, wants Britain’s major political parties to commit to a Norwegian-style draft ahead of national elections this year. This would involve roughly a fifth of youngsters being conscripted to serve in uniform for 12 to 18 months, forming a reserve and enabling the military to expand to 870,000-strong in a crisis.
He wrote in the Times of London this week:
National Service is firmly associated with the past. It’s what they did in the 1940s and 1950s, isn’t it? That was our dads and grandads. How very 20th century. It is not seen as compatible with our hyper-individualistic age. How dare we disturb the idea that everyone has a lot of rights without any responsibility to protect them?
Most people with such fears can rest easy: the last thing the army needs is several million unwilling conscripts on its hands. But now we need the 21st-century version of National Service: not its return but its reinvention, bringing the prospect of skills, motivation, recognition and inclusion for individuals while ensuring the security of the country.
Sweden has just set an example of this, reinstating civic duty for 18-year-olds, which includes training in emergency services or maintaining vital infrastructure as alternatives to the armed forces. “Citizenship is not a travel document,” explained the Swedish prime minister, but comes with obligations as well.
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