this post was submitted on 25 Feb 2024
68 points (100.0% liked)

United Kingdom

82 readers
6 users here now

General community for news/discussion in the UK.

Less serious posts should go in !casualuk@feddit.uk or !andfinally@feddit.uk
More serious politics should go in !uk_politics@feddit.uk.

Try not to spam the same link to multiple feddit.uk communities.
Pick the most appropriate, and put it there.

Posts should be related to UK-centric news, and should be either a link to a reputable source, or a text post on this community.

Opinion pieces are also allowed, provided they are not misleading/misrepresented/drivel, and have proper sources.

If you think "reputable news source" needs some definition, by all means start a meta thread.

Posts should be manually submitted, not by bot. Link titles should not be editorialised.

Disappointing comments will generally be left to fester in ratio, outright horrible comments will be removed.
Message the mods if you feel something really should be removed, or if a user seems to have a pattern of awful comments.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
tom@feddit.uk
GreatAlbatross@feddit.uk
68
Britons should prepare for conscription if Russia hits Nato, warns ex-Army chief (inews.co.uk)
submitted 8 months ago by GreatAlbatross@feddit.uk to c/unitedkingdom@feddit.uk
21 comments fedilink hide all child comments
top 21 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 30 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

That will be down to the UK government not NATO.

It is certainly possible. But our current military leaders have made it clear in the past,

1 career milatary volunteer is worth 100s of untrained forced fighters.

The cost of training huge numbers of conscripted fighters. When fighting a modern battle. Is not going to be the first choice of our military by any means. Moving from a total voluntary army to conscription would take a huge change in our forces. More so then the US that at least still keeps records suitable for drafting young fighters.

[–] Kusimulkku@lemm.ee 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I don't know about you guys but anyone close to Russia probably understands the usefulness of conscription.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Given russia has taken 2 years to fail to win a war it expected to win overnight. And it conscription draws from a population 3 x the size of the Ukraine. Most would be less then impressed with the effectiveness of forced labour fighting in a nation they do not care about. Vs people defending their own home.

And that has been the point the UK military leaders have argued in the past. Conscription is only effective when folks need to defend their family. Not fight for political/ politicians gain.

[–] Kusimulkku@lemm.ee 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I think this was about defensive use?

The British people must be prepared for military conscription and making other sacrifices to defend the UK if Russia attacks, a former senior army commander has warned.

He said the country needs to snap out of thinking war is always an “away game”.

“You’re not mobilising because you’re going to invade somebody else’s country. You’re mobilising because someone is threatening yours – and your family and your livelihood.

“If we were to go to war with a power like Russia, we would have to secure the homeland, guarding things. We would have to play a bigger part in deterrence – and fighting on continental Europe.

Ukraine probably wouldn't exist today without conscription. Their manpower reserves is one of the huge assets they have.

You can have professional troops for overseas service and conscripts for defense. And you'd have more ability to send those professionals abroad when you have capable soldiers at home. I think that's what they're talking about in the article anyway.

[–] ivanafterall@kbin.social 16 points 8 months ago (1 children)

How does one prepare for conscription? Keep a bag packed, just in case?

[–] _xDEADBEEF@lemm.ee 10 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

find out what the list of medical exemptions are

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/uk-conscription-exemptions-certain-health-31973713

id imagine theyd get more lenient for conscripts though

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 11 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Both my grandfather's on both sides fought in both world war 1 and world war II and all four were killed, so there doesn't really seem to be much future in conscription.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 9 points 8 months ago

Also UK military leaders have been against it for decades. It is just an expensive way to get cannon fodder. Maybe useful in 1930s trench warfare. But rarely of value for modern technical warfare.

It will just leave the milatary with a huge training bill.

[–] Tweak@feddit.uk 7 points 8 months ago

The great Tory plan to just kill off and thin the heard rather than address the social issues they've caused.

[–] jabjoe@feddit.uk 4 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Thing will be, will the population support this? Do they care enough about countries not their own? It will probably be Poland, do people care enough about Poland to get fired up to fight? Nationalism/Brexit/racism has been demonizing Pols as both taking our jobs and scrounging benefits. Plus Russia is whispering in their social media feeds and so they don't think Russia is that bad. We're in a right old state.

[–] Fudoshin@feddit.uk 8 points 8 months ago

I don't care enough about the UK to fight. But I am suicidal so I may fight just so I can die.

I'm on the fence!

[–] CameronDev@programming.dev 5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Its possibly just a good tactic to get people onboard with sending more weapons.

Get on board with us sending weapons, if this goes south, we'll have to send you instead

[–] jabjoe@feddit.uk 2 points 8 months ago (1 children)

No possible room for problematic misinterpretation there.....

[–] CameronDev@programming.dev 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Sorry, I am dumb, misinterpreted in what way?

[–] jabjoe@feddit.uk 1 points 8 months ago

Poland gets invaded. Which I think it will anyway unless Ukraine wins.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 1 points 8 months ago

I would fight if asked. I might not be very good at it, though

[–] lntl@lemmy.ml 3 points 8 months ago

best of luck to ya

[–] rayquetzalcoatl@feddit.uk 3 points 8 months ago

Fuck right off

[–] sirico@feddit.uk 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Why you're ex my lad

[–] FarceOfWill@infosec.pub 1 points 8 months ago

If I were PM I'd be annoyed I couldn't fire him for this, but I see in the article a link to the current outgoing head of the army saying the same thing.

I guess the Tories are so weak now the war nuts think they can get away with this kind of talk.

https://inews.co.uk/news/military-conscription-uk-how-likely-2870708?ico=in-line_link

[–] crispy_kilt@feddit.de 2 points 8 months ago

More fearmongering for the cowards afraid of Putler.

Fuck Putler and fuck his dumb fucking war.

All we need to do is give Ukraine the kit she needs to win. Not even 10% of Nato's gear would be more than enough.