WW3 conscription fears skyrocket as ‘Iran hits UK base’ – see in the event you’re affected
Fears a global conflict is about to erupt have skyrocketed after a British military base was attacked. Iran is suspected to have struck RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus with drones hours after Keir Starmer gave the US permission to use UK military facilities for “defensive” operations.
The Middle East is on the brink of starting world war three after US-Israeli airstrikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday morning. Tehran has been firing missiles across the region in response.
Dubai, Jordan, Israel, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait have all been hit by Iran’s air raids and suicide drones. US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was also reportedly targeted with unsubstantiated claims that three US soldiers were killed.
The strikes are showing no signs of stopping either with Donald Trump warning more US troops are “likely” to die. The US President said: “As one nation, we grieve for the true American patriots who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, even as we continue the righteous mission for which they gave their lives.
“And sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That’s the way it is – likely be more, but we’ll do everything possible where that won’t be the case.”
He added: “But America will avenge their deaths, and deliver the most punishing blow to the terrorists who have waged war against, basically, civilisation”.
The conflict in the Middle East has reignited fears that Britain is not ready for world war 3. Last year, the shrinking ranks of Britain’s military set off warning bells amongst national security specialists, with one ex-commander cautioning that the nation would be virtually helpless against a direct assault.
After sweeping MoD budget slashes that kicked off in 2010, merely 74,000 regular forces personnel are currently enlisted in the British Army – marking the smallest figure since the Napoleonic era.
As fears of another world war are at an all time high, your Daily Star took a look at how the conscription process previously worked in Britain.
When Britain rolled out conscription in the run-up to World War 2, unmarried men between 20 and 22 were obliged to complete six months of military service, leading to 240,000 call-ups. But once war broke out after Adolf Hitler’s assault on Poland, the age bracket was instantly expanded to include any man between 18 and 41.
Men who were medically unfit or employed in crucial sectors such as baking, agriculture, and healthcare, all essential to the war machine, were granted exemptions. By the end of 1941, women and all childless widows aged 20 to 30 found themselves obligated to undertake war-related work, whilst men up to 51 were enlisted for military duty.
Following the conflict, National Service mandated that all able-bodied males from 17 to 21 complete 18 months in the armed forces, plus a four-year reserve commitment. This usually meant training at UK-based military facilities.
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Britain has never enlisted women for frontline combat roles – yet recent surveys indicate the public believes this ought to shift should a third world war ever erupt. A YouGov survey conducted earlier this year revealed that 72 percent backed conscripting women alongside men should such measures ever return.
But, despite warnings that the world has entered a “pre-war” phase, the same YouGov survey revealed that numerous young Britons would refuse to take up arms – even if the nation faced invasion. Around 38 percent of those under 40 declared they would refuse to serve in the military if World War III erupted, whilst 30 percent wouldn’t serve even if the UK confronted “imminent invasion”.
]Those who did object — dubbed “conscientious objectors” — would be brought before the courts to hear why they shouldn’t be allowed to go to the military. When they cleared their name, they would be hauled into essential civilian jobs like farming and hospital work.
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