All you should know as requires nationwide service return develop amid Russia menace

Need to know

Former Nato chief Lord Robertson said introducing a Swedish-style national service “should certainly be on the agenda” to protect Britain amid growing threats from hostile nations including Russia and Iran

Need to Know: Call for National Service Reboot

• Former NATO chief Lord Robertson has called for national service to be reintroduced in Britain to tackle growing international threats.
• The Labour peer suggested a Swedish-style system where everyone aged 16 to 70 would have legally defined roles in civil resilience. Speaking to a Parliamentary committee, he said: “I think there is a case for that.”
• Lord Robertson’s proposal comes after he accused the Government of “corrosive complacency” on defence spending. The defence spending plan is now over six months late, with no clear timeline for release.
• Under the Swedish model, citizens would be required to contribute to national defence during wartime through military or civil conscription. This could include rescue services or maintaining critical infrastructure.
• Britain previously had national service from 1949 to 1960, requiring men aged 17-21 to serve 18 months in the armed forces. Other European nations like Finland and Germany have maintained or reintroduced similar systems following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• Lord Robertson warned that Britain faces daily threats including “cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns and espionage” from hostile nations like Russia and Iran. He called for a national conversation about defence readiness.
• The former defence secretary drew parallels with the 1930s, stating: “It would be horrible to think that it would take an actual crisis, an actual attack on the United Kingdom, before we woke up to the kind of threats that are facing us.”
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