UK defence minister would ‘love’ return of conscription
VERY SUCCESSFUL IN VIETNAM WAR
ByAFP
March 29, 2023
Britain's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said reservists were important given the reliance of modern armed forces on specialists - Copyright AFP Oliver Contreras
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Wednesday he would “love” to see Britain emulate Finland and Sweden by bringing back military conscription.
Britain scrapped national service for all young men in 1960, and occasional calls for its return have been confined to right-wing politicians and media.
Wallace, a former army officer, was briefing reporters alongside Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson about Sweden and Finland’s bids to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine.
He conceded that “a different cultural thing” was at play after both Nordic countries persisted with conscription in the decades since World War II, albeit with a seven-year break for Sweden.
But Wallace said: “I think we’re all envious of both Sweden and Finland, in (their) reserves.”
He said reservists were especially important given the reliance of modern armed forces on specialists, for example in cyberwarfare, who could be activated in time of need.
“And I think we’ve got to recognise that again the lesson of Ukraine is how do we work on our resilience, and part of that is about reserves,” he said.
“I would love to have a model like that.”
March 29, 2023
Britain's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said reservists were important given the reliance of modern armed forces on specialists - Copyright AFP Oliver Contreras
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Wednesday he would “love” to see Britain emulate Finland and Sweden by bringing back military conscription.
Britain scrapped national service for all young men in 1960, and occasional calls for its return have been confined to right-wing politicians and media.
Wallace, a former army officer, was briefing reporters alongside Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson about Sweden and Finland’s bids to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine.
He conceded that “a different cultural thing” was at play after both Nordic countries persisted with conscription in the decades since World War II, albeit with a seven-year break for Sweden.
But Wallace said: “I think we’re all envious of both Sweden and Finland, in (their) reserves.”
He said reservists were especially important given the reliance of modern armed forces on specialists, for example in cyberwarfare, who could be activated in time of need.
“And I think we’ve got to recognise that again the lesson of Ukraine is how do we work on our resilience, and part of that is about reserves,” he said.
“I would love to have a model like that.”
The first draft card of the Vietnam War era was burned on this day in 1965 — 56 years ago. NOTE IT IS AN AFRO AMERICAN DRAFT DODGER
No comments:
Post a Comment