A former chief of MI6 stated that the UK needs to be jolted into action and should take inspiration from Sweden’s military conscription system.
Sir Alex Younger, who led the Secret Intelligence Service from 2014 to 2020, proposed that in exceptional circumstances, the UK government should have the authority to compel individuals to ‘to render their service in some capacity’.
He recommended adopting Sweden’s approach, where individuals are required to complete an enlistment form upon turning 18, although only some are then called up for basic military training.
He highlighted its success after it was reinstated in 2017 following Russia invaded Crimea in 2014.
During an interview on the BBC’s The Today Podcast, Sir Alex stated: ‘Ultimately, in extreme situations, I believe we would be looking at something similar to the system I am aware of in places like Sweden, where the government has the power to mandate individuals to render their service in some way, but refrains from doing so unless it is truly necessary.
‘You’ll notice that not everyone is called up and summoned to the recruitment center, I think that’s highly improbable.’
Sir Alex expressed his disagreement with ‘universal conscription’, but he is interested in ‘methods for broader participation and contribution to national security in times of crisis’.
He also suggested that the UK needs to reconsider its approach to defense to be more in line with Eastern European nations such as Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia.
He added: ‘I think in some ways those are countries [bordering Russia] that have been confronted with reality, and I feel like I am someone who has been confronted with reality.
‘And I’m a liberal at heart – I aspire to live in a world where we don’t have to contemplate these matters.
‘However, I must say that we seem to have deluded ourselves into thinking that the benefits we enjoy and the values that define our nation are inherently protected and do not require defending.
‘I think we’re in for a harsh awakening. Conversely, if we decide that we want to protect them, the urgency to do so probably diminishes.’
In January, head of the British Army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, advocated for the training of a ‘civilian army’ prepared to engage in land warfare in a future conflict.
This sparked a discussion at the time about whether the UK should reintroduce a variation of mandatory military service, but the idea was rejected by Downing Street.
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