What is conscription? We take a look as army general says civilians should prepare for war
We're going to talk about conscription for the next minute or so and explore exactly what it means, after the head of the British Army suggested that similar measures may be required in the future should we go to war with Russia. Here's everything you need to know.
General Sir Patrick Sanders is the head of the British Army. He recently said that UK citizens should be trained and equipped in order to be prepared for a potential conflict with Russia. This has led to some concerns that what the general was suggesting was conscription, similar to what was seen in the world wars.
So what is conscription and how does it work? Well conscription is when the government orders citizens to join the forces during wartime. The measure is usually written into law, making it a requirement to answer the call. During the first and second world wars, men aged between eighteen and forty one were conscripted.
Some were exempt from conscription, including those who were medically unfit or those who worked in key industries such as farming, medicine and engineering. The government has said in response to Sanders' comments that it has no plans to implement the measures.
General Sir Patrick Sanders is the head of the British Army. He recently said that UK citizens should be trained and equipped in order to be prepared for a potential conflict with Russia. This has led to some concerns that what the general was suggesting was conscription, similar to what was seen in the world wars.
So what is conscription and how does it work? Well conscription is when the government orders citizens to join the forces during wartime. The measure is usually written into law, making it a requirement to answer the call. During the first and second world wars, men aged between eighteen and forty one were conscripted.
Some were exempt from conscription, including those who were medically unfit or those who worked in key industries such as farming, medicine and engineering. The government has said in response to Sanders' comments that it has no plans to implement the measures.
Transcript
00:00 General Sir Patrick Sanders is the head of the British Army.
00:05 He recently said that UK citizens should be trained and equipped
00:09 in order to be prepared for a potential conflict with Russia.
00:13 This has led to some concerns that what the general was suggesting
00:17 was conscription, similar to what was seen in the world wars.
00:21 So what is conscription and how does it work?
00:25 Well, conscription is when the government orders citizens
00:28 to join the forces during wartime.
00:31 The measure is usually written into law,
00:33 making it a requirement to answer the call.
00:36 During the First and Second World Wars,
00:38 men aged between 18 and 41 were conscripted.
00:43 Some were exempt from conscription, including those who were medically unfit
00:47 or those who worked in key industries such as farming, medicine and engineering.
00:52 The government has said, in response to Sanders' comments,
00:56 has no plans to implement the measures.
00:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]