United Kingdom Should Reinstitute Military Conscription to Deter Russia, Urges NATO Ally.
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History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesThe United Kingdom should reinstitute military conscription of British citizens to act as a deterrent against Russia invading other countries in Europe, a NATO ally has urged.
Latvian Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins argued that Britain should once again start conscripting citizens into military service, after having scrapped the World War-era system in 1960.
Latvia, like Finland, has instituted a conscription programme following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, requiring men between the ages of 18 to 27 to carry out at least 11 months of military service.
Asked in an interview with The Telegraph whether Britain should follow suit, Karins said: “We would strongly recommend this. We are developing and fleshing out a system of what we call a total defence involving all parts of civil society.”
Karins said that it is imperative for his country, which shares a 133-mile border with Russia, and other Baltic states for NATO to be ready to defend its territory “from the first square centimetre”.
The former prime minister argued, therefore, that British military strength would be a “crucial” deterrent, adding: “We need to plan and train and supply and plan and train and supply and make that visible to the Russians,” he said. “We will not stop them from wanting to have imperialistic ambitions, but we can make sure they don’t consider coming our way.”
Downing Street said in January that it has no plans of reintroducing conscription in Britain after the head of the British Army, Chief of the General Staff Gen. Patrick Saunders, argued that conscription may be necessary to confront Russia with a “citizen army” in a “whole-of-nation” effort.
