British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced the Conservative Party will introduce mandatory national service if it wins the UK general election on July 4.
It was the first major policy announcement since Mr Sunak called a snap election last week.
Here is what we know about the proposed policy and the history of national service in Australia.
What is the difference between national service and conscription?
Conscription means people are forced to join the armed forces for a certain period of time.
Mr Sunak’s national service proposal falls some way short of that.
British 18-year-olds would be compelled to volunteer in the community or enter a 12-month placement in the armed forces.
What would national service look like in the UK?
Teenagers would be given two choices if the Conservatives win the general election and enforce national service in the UK.
The first option would be volunteering in the community, giving up one weekend a month for a year.
Placements could include helping the NHS, police and fire services, and some charities.
A full-time placement in the armed forces for 12 months would be the second option.
Young people who chose this option would “learn and take part in logistics, cyber security, procurement or civil response operations,” the Conservatives said.
National service would apply to young people in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Would there be punishments for refusing?
The proposed scheme would not force anyone to take part in military training and teenagers would not be sent to prison for refusing to comply.
But it would be required by law and there would be non-criminal sanctions for refusing.
How much will it cost?
The estimated cost is 2.5 billion British pounds ($4.8 billion) a year.
The Conservatives said it would be paid for partly by taking 1.5 billion pounds from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which was set up in 2022 to regenerate poor communities.
What has the reaction been?
The exact details on how the scheme would work are not clear and there are questions still to be answered.
But the Conservatives’ political rivals have been quick to seize on the announcement.
Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey called the proposed plan a “distraction” from defence failures while Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves called it a “gimmick”.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described the scheme as “nonsense” and said the armed forces needed “professional soldiers, not people there for one year”.
Scottish National Party deputy leader Keith Brown told the BBC the Conservatives were “trying to put a sticking plaster on the future of young people and the future of the armed forces and it’s not going to work”.
Nigel Farage, the honorary president of the right-wing Reform UK party, called the plan a “joke”.
Admiral Alan West, a former chief of naval staff, said the plan was “bonkers”.
“I’m delighted if more young people become aware of defence and are involved … but this idea is basically bonkers,” he said.
“We need to spend more on defence, and – by doing what he’s [Sunak] suggesting – money will be sucked out of defence.”
Which countries have mandatory military service?
According to the World Population Review, there are 66 countries that have mandatory military service.
Among them are:
- Russia: From the age of 18, all men are required to complete 12 months of military service or the equivalent training during higher education.
- Denmark: A four-month period in the military is required for men but they can postpone until after completing further education.
- Norway: Completing 19 months of military service is required for those aged 19-44 but the scheme is selective, with less than 10,000 people accepted in 2023.
- Israel: After high school, most young Israelis must serve in the military, with men serving 32 months and women serving 24 months.
What is the history of conscription in Australia?
During World War I, Australia’s prime minister Billy Hughes was strongly in favour of conscription and tried to introduce it twice but it was voted down by the Australian people.
However, a national service scheme called universal training required boys aged 12-18 to train at school, and men aged 18-26 to join their local militia and train at various times throughout the year.
Prime minister Robert Menzies brought back universal training at the start of World War II in 1939, and it applied to unmarried men turning 21.
Conscripted troops were not allowed to serve outside of Australian territories, but as that included what is now Papua New Guinea, many found themselves fighting alongside professional Australian soldiers in battles against the Japanese along the Kokoda Track.
The area conscripts were allowed to serve in was later expanded, but only ever applied to the South-West Pacific, not Europe or North Africa.
The wartime conscription scheme was closed down in 1946.
But conscription for 18 year olds was reintroduced in 1951, due to the Korean War, and axed in 1959.
The Vietnam War saw conscription reintroduced in 1964 and men aged 20 were selected by a birthday ballot.
From 1965 to 1972, over 15,300 national servicemen served in the Vietnam War, with 200 killed and 1,279 wounded, according to Australia War Memorial.
Large anti-conscription and anti-Vietnam War demonstrations were held, and the scheme was abolished in 1972.
The United Kingdom abolished its previous national service scheme in 1960.
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