Opponents of the idea claim that any expansion of eligibility for national service-style schemes to older age groups would represent a significant shift in defence policy and could raise practical and ethical questions about fitness, capability and operational effectiveness.
General Walker said in a rare speech to defence leaders and senior military ranks that the UK is facing a "convergence of threats." He warned that war could break out between 2027 and 2028 unless the West steps up quickly with putting more money into defence for a strong deterrence. He warned of Russia's war in Ukraine, China eyeing Taiwan, North Korea with their weapons testing in preparation for possible conflict and Iran with their nuclear programme, all of this creates a dangerous prospect.
Young Danes are selected at random, according to the armed forces' needs. Conscripts in Finland serve between six, nine, or 12 months, depending on their specialty and rank. They are then placed in the reserves, where they can be called back to active duty, until the age of 50 or 60 -- a limit the government is considering raising to 65. Military service is voluntary for women.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin said his forces are prevailing in what he described as a righteous battle in Ukraine. Our fighters and commanders go on the attack, and the entire country, all of Russia, is waging this righteous battle and working hard, he said. President Putin signed a decree ordering the conscription of 135,000 men for military service, the official government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports.
