“Left! Right! Left! Right! Lefffft”
Conscription; the compulsory enlistment of citizens of a country into the Army.
Historically, compulsory conscription enhances patriotism by creating a common experience shared and cherished.
Some countries which practice conscription are:
Israel
Greece
Finland
Sweden
Switzerland
Singapore
South Korea
“In the workplace and on the road, you can spot those who have done national service pretty quickly. They’re the ones getting things done while their non-conscripted colleagues stand around idly puffing on ciggies. The arguments against obligatory tours of duty are strong bu the positives for society outweight the negatives.”
Excerpt from Monocle, Editor-in-Chief, Issue 27, Volume 3, October 2009
In his argument, a modern national service need not be focused on sending troops to the front-line but instead help train youths to prepare for natural disasters, terror attacks, peacekeeping operations and community support. This in turn could help keep UK youths away from petty crime, racism and anti-social behaviour. With a large immigration community, conscription would increase interaction the 18-21 yr olds of these communities and hence creating a greater integration.
Despite the trend in Europe for professional armies, a recent report by the Finnish Parliament stated conscription was “the central pillar of the national defence.” Finland currently has more than 300,000 soldiers in its reserve army, as compared to Sweden’s new target figure of 50,000. (They are preparing to end conscription and maintain a purely professional fighting force)
Photo taken during my National Service days as an Officer Cadet (i'm on the bottom right)
Having completed National Service in Singapore as an officer, I feel the benefits of having such a system. Be it the different types of people I met (out of my usual circle), the interaction between races, classes and backgrounds or the type language we speak. This breaks down all barriers in a multi-racial society, where all races live in harmony. Also, most guys who have completed National Service (NS), except clerks, would agree that NS has made us more disciplined, physically fit, neat & tidy, positive about life and patriotic. It has also built as sense of comrade amongst the other young men you go through thick and thin with. These bonds and friendships are for life, with experiences never to be forgotten and yet applicable in the market place.
And of course in times of crisis – natural disaster, terrorist attack, foreign invasion or even standing up for a friend in a pub, you feel confidently equipped with the skills/mental ability to handle whatever comes your way.
