Should we bring back national service? Conflicts across the world have brought warnings that Europe’s armies are not nearly big enough to cope with a full-scale war.
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Army chiefs call for Nato 'citizen armies'
Should we bring back national service? Conflicts across the world have brought warnings that Europe's armies are not nearly big enough to cope with a full-scale war.
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What's happening?
The Fortnite soldiers run across a bridge, reach for their weapons and open fire on the enemy.
This is a scene from a new video by the British Army. They want more young people to join up. But some think that everyone should be forced to join up, whether they like it or not.
From 1949 to 1963, British men aged 17 to 21 had to do national serviceNon-optional military service during peacetime. .
Last week a former NatoThe North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was founded in 1949 to unite Western democracies in Europe and North America against the perceived growing threat of the USSR. It now has 31 members. top official said it was time to bring back conscriptionForced enrolment in the army. , so that Britain has enough soldiers to win in any war.
Others say that national service could even be good for young people, by teaching them key life skills.
Find out more
British leaders have ruled conscription out for now. A pollThe YouGov survey asked 1,107 British teachers about racism and the curriculum. found that nearly a third of Britons under 40 would not agree to join the army, even if the country faced an invasionWhen armed forced enter and try to take control of another country. .
Should we bring back national service?
Yes! National service would bring young people together, give them pride and teach them skills that would be useful for their whole life. And it would help to keep people safe.
No! Teenagers should have the choice to go to university or start a job instead. People who are forced to do something they do not want to are hardly ever any good at it - and nobody should be made to die for their country in the worst case.
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Keywords
National service - Non-optional military service during peacetime.
Nato - The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was founded in 1949 to unite Western democracies in Europe and North America against the perceived growing threat of the USSR. It now has 31 members.
Conscription - Forced enrolment in the army.
Poll - The YouGov survey asked 1,107 British teachers about racism and the curriculum.
Invasion - When armed forced enter and try to take control of another country.
Army chiefs call for Nato ‘citizen armies’
Joining up: During World Wars One and Two, calls to serve your country in the name of duty were commonplace. Glossary
National service - Non-optional military service during peacetime.
Nato - The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was founded in 1949 to unite Western democracies in Europe and North America against the perceived growing threat of the USSR. It now has 31 members.
Conscription - Forced enrolment in the army.
Poll - The YouGov survey asked 1,107 British teachers about racism and the curriculum.
Invasion - When armed forced enter and try to take control of another country.