Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 shocked Europe into taking a long hard look at its defences. Conscription is seeing a revival across Europe.

Does compulsory military service mean sending poorly trained, disgruntled young people into battle, or can it encourage civic duty and keep Europe safe?

https://www.euronews.com/2023/09/01/conscription-is-seeing-a-revival-across-europe-is-that-a-good-thing

#Europe #Military #MilitaryService #Conscription #CivicDuty

I bet if they did then the first people to howl about being forced into #MilitaryService would be the rightwing #MuhFreedumbs crowd. They'd certainly be the first ones drummed out of it for disobedience. #NationalService

You get a lot of kids from different backgrounds learning empathy and the positive power of organised resistance, with access to weapons training and a sudden urge to hold those in power to account. On paper, #MilitaryService is a #Conservative's worst nightmare. It is no coincidence that organised labour in the US, and the welfare state and the NHS in the UK, all came about as a result of the mass mobilisations in #WW2 and #NationalService for a decade or more afterwards.

I don't know why #conservatives are always so in love with the idea of the draft and #NationalService.

They claim to love the military, but virtually no military actually wants draftees in their service except as a last resort as draftees make generally crap soldiers, chew up resources, and are sources of discontent.

#MilitaryService also tends, in the west anyway, to lead to more leftwing and organised public as people from all backgrounds mix together. It is everything they hate happening.