@ISIDEWITHQuestionsForeign policyStarted 9yrs agoActive 4 days ago

Should every 18 year old citizen be required to provide at least one year of military service?

Military Service is currently not required in the Australia. The last conflicted requiring National Service was the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 70s.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 20.4k 5000 voters.

21%
Yes
79%
No
13%
Yes
72%
No
4%
Yes, but only for those who do not pursue further education or employment
7%
No, service should be a choice instead of an obligation
2%
Yes, but with less focus on military training and more focus on education and skill development
1%
Yes, but only for those who are starting to build a criminal record
0%
Yes, and it should be at least two years of service

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 20.4k 5000 voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 20.4k 5000 voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from 5000 voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @592N9QXfrom Victoria  answered…4yrs4Y

Only whites should have to complete military service.

 @4Z3YXPKfrom Victoria  answered…4yrs4Y

No, we have a professional Military, not a babysitting service.

 @4ZG3TJMfrom South Australia  answered…4yrs4Y

a separate 'army' should be created that does not focus on defence or military at all but on emergency service and relief for natural disasters and ecological and social assistance learning and using skills for building, repairing, planting, medical aid and even just plain old sandbagging. all can become trained volunteer fire fighters and assist in any and all emergency situations around the country and perhaps even overseas boosting out emergency services where ever needed. these skills are non violent and transferable when service is complete. similar to the peace corps but australian based. exemptions for those doing further study or with sole care of children.

 @9K8TZN2answered…1yr1Y

Yes, as reservists. One year of basic training in ADF to build gun and defense literacy while building mateship and an egalitarian national psychology. Undertaken immediatly after the HSC and before University. The year would expose all young Australians (and refugees) to all education and career paths in ADF. Thereby potentially increasing recruitment of young Australians who are paid while they study and do a tour of duty. And potentially leading to a more agile national enterprise and a strong national defense and personal ethos.

 @8TLSKTTanswered…4yrs4Y

No, the military can be a very traumatic time and can lead to mental health problems. The service should be optional.

 @8PKDXT5answered…4yrs4Y

No, the military should not be compulsory and should be reduced in size

 @B48WS3Zanswered…4 days4D

No, since Australia relies on highly-skilled naval and air forces, the costs of compulsory military service would outweigh the benefits

 @B48HHM6answered…5 days5D

Yes, as long as there are provisions in place to prevent these soldiers from being deployed to combat overseas.

Latest News

Stay up-to-date on the most recent “Mandatory Military Service” news articles, updated frequently.

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…12mos12MO

Germany considers revival of compulsory national military service

Germany has unveiled the most sweeping military reforms since the cold war, including the possible revival of national service, as part of efforts to better prepare its armed forces to defend Nato territory.Speaking in Berlin on Thursday on the military alliance’s 75th anniversary, defence minister Boris Pistorius said he had signed an order to reorganise the German military from top to bottom.“It is a landmark reform . . . Our goal is to restructure the Bundeswehr in such a way that it is best positioned in the event of defence, in the event of war,” said Pistorius. “Nobody should have the idea of attacking Nato territory — this is what we [want to] convey.”The measures are part of a huge shift in Germany’s attitude towards its armed forces, reflecting what Chancellor Olaf Scholz said was a Zeitenwende or turning point in security policy after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago.A single operational command will take charge of four new component forces, with cyber warfare raised to an equal footing alongside land, air and sea operations.Military officials drawing up the plans have been given six months to implement them. A key demand from the ministry is that the Bundeswehr will be made ready for compulsory national service in Germany, Pistorius said, should a decision be taken to reintroduce it. The country stopped its mandatory military service — as well as the option to serve in non-military institutions — in 2011.A defence ministry proposal on a model of national service for young adults will be put before German politicians in the coming weeks, he added.

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…9mos9MO

Taiwan ‘learning from Ukraine’ to prepare for attack

Taipei is studying the tactics being employed by the Ukrainian military against Russia in its preparations for a potential attack, the self-governing island’s new vice president, Hsiao Bi-khim, has said.Her comments come as Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has been voicing concerns that Beijing, which sees Taiwan as an inalienable part of its territory, has allegedly outlined the island’s “annexation and the elimination of the Republic of China (Taiwan) as the great rejuvenating cause of its people,” suggesting that the mainland would stop at nothing to take control of the island.Speaking at an event hosted by Chatham House, a British think-tank, in London on Tuesday, Bi-khim insisted that Taiwan must reform and decentralize its military command structure, adding that the government is actively “learning from Ukraine’s defense, where smaller combat forces have proven nimble and adaptable.”The vice president, who was elected last month, further claimed that “authoritarian regimes” were seeking to “influence and destabilize other nations through hybrid operations such as political warfare, cyber-intrusion, economic coercion and the threat of military force.”In light of this supposed threat, Bi-khim stated that the Taiwanese government has already taken a number of steps to boost its ability to react in the event of an attack. These include the doubling of the island’s defense budget, extending mandatory military service from four months to a year, the prioritization of new arms acquisitions, and other measures, some of which have been inspired by Ukraine, she said.

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