Brittish Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to reintroduce national service, requiring all 18-year-olds to complete a year of mandatory military or civilian national service, a practice not seen in over 60 years, to boost his election campaign, Associated Press reports.
The proposed plan would have 30,000 out of 700,000 18-year-olds serve 12 months in the military roles such as logistics or cyber defense. he remaining youths would dedicate one weekend per month to community service in charities, hospitals, police, or fire services. Sunak believes this program will foster a shared sense of purpose and national pride among young people.
Historically, Britain had military conscription during World War II and mandatory military service for men between 1947 and 1960.
