Commentary 18 - THE CONSCRIPTION IDEA

 

THE CONSCRIPTION IDEA

 (Written by Warren Maloney on 2 June 2024 for a Discussion by the Jackson Zoom Group)

                                                 


The UK Conservatives (or really just the outgoing PM Sunak) have created a Platform of CONSCRIPTION to pursue if they are re-elected in 2024. 

 In reality the half-baked Sunak model is something like a weekend @ month in the Army for a year OR some type & number of Community Service hours per year ("if you would be so good enough to do them"). But none of it is compulsory! What could possibly go wrong?

 This got me thinking about Conscription - Why has it has never worked or been accepted in Australia? Why Countries under no military threat accept it (e.g. Brazil, Cambodia, Greece, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, UAE - see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_service )? 

 The reasons are always multi-layered - so I went back to thinking about Australia.

 Conscription Referenda here were defeated in 1917 & 1918. The Government at the time specifically extended the vote to soldiers serving in WWI and they emphatically said NO. 

 There was a quasi-conscription tried on 2 occasions since the failed Referenda

 (1)  3 months Army-style training 1954-1959 for some males and  

 (2) for 20 years old by ballot 1965-1972 (only about 28% of those balloted IN had to serve - such was the exemptions). Essentially, the better educated and wealthy and those with legal contacts exited by the side doors.

 Even in the direct threat of Invasion/Attack to Australia in WW2, Conscription was not tried. There was a compulsory registering of young men but once again the exemptions to even that were the majority.

 So why not? Well,

 

(1)  Conscription only works with the Army as it is much too hard to train in the Navy & Air Force in a short time

 

(2)  There is no history of conscription for both sexes - therefore no history in the Army of how to tackle it

           (3) War needs have moved to the technical equipment rather than young feet on the ground. It is unlikely that a ground war would be fought on Australian soil by any of the possible enemy. Our geographic position has never been appealing. Even Ukraine limits its Conscript age and keeps it away from 18–22-year-olds.


(4) The Public have shown over 124 years several times that Conscription is vehemently opposed. Conscription only works if it is compulsory. To achieve that, the People culturally must be accepting.

 

(5) History tells us that ex-Conscripts have often have serious mental and/or physical health challenges and are a sizeable cost in managing or assisting

 The UK Military have openly called Sunak's idea "bonkers".  Outside of the usual couple of ex-generals, the same feeling is very clear in the Australian Military. 

 Australia has been playing Deputy Sheriff to the UK & USA Empires & a few neighbours for a long time. Even when that was the most costly and tragic (per head of population Australia suffered more military deaths in WWI except for Germany). 

 If an Australian Government demands Conscription for that to happen again, then it is unlikely to continue to govern for long! 

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