Realities of bringing back national service are daunting, retired major general says
A retired major general said there are practical challenges to Rishi Sunak's plans to introduce mandatory national service.
Speaking to the BBC, Major General Tim Cross said: "I'm not against it in principle, but I sense the practical realities are going to be pretty daunting."
Home Secretary James Cleverly says the Conservatives' plan to introduce a form of mandatory national service, if his party wins the general election, is about pushing people out of their comfort zone.
He also said no-one would be sent to jail for refusing to comply.
Under the proposals, 18-year-olds would either join the military for 12 months or do community work one weekend a month for a year.
Tim Cross, a veteran with a distinguished military career spanning almost 30 years, questioned the practicalities of the proposed plans, saying, "who is going to actually look after these guys and where are you going to put them and what equipment are you going to give them and what are you going to do with them in terms of training?"
"We all know national service for many people was an awful lot of time sitting in barracks not doing an awful lot."
He was commissioned in 1971 into the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and went on to serve in Germany, Northern Ireland, and Cyprus.
He also questioned the possibility of sending young people to some 'nasty places'.
Other veterans have also questioned the Tories' decision to introduce mandatory national service if they win the general election on 4 July.
Speaking on Sky News, Justin Crump, a veteran with 25 years' military experience, said the idea could end up being an enormous burden.
"Certainly not the solution to the military's problems," he said.
"And I think everyone I've spoken to this morning also has their head in their hands slightly in the same way would provide a huge distraction of what the military needs to do at the moment and doesn't address core funding needs.
"In fact, it makes it worse," he added
However, there are some voices in support of the idea. Liz McConaghy, the longest-serving female Chinook pilot and a published author, expressed a positive outlook in a post on X.
"There has been a lot of nay-sayers on this topic. Also, a lot of people quite rightly pointing out how challenging it will be in terms of mindset, infrastructure, resources, etc.
"I think it can only lead to a more positive society and extra skill sets in our young people going into their working lives! "
The post continued: "It needs to be embraced by them, and they absolutely need to WANT to do this. That can be driven by positive encouragement from all those who have served in some way and the purpose, identity, and passion it gave us."
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
