What happens if you refuse WW3 conscription as National Service issued by ally | World | News
President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that 18 and 19-year-olds will have the opportunity to take part in a voluntary military service from 2026 in a bid to prepare for the spectre of escalating war in Europe as Russia‘s strikes on Ukraine continue.
The 10-month scheme aims to have 3,000 people enrolled next year, and then the number will increase to 10,000 by 2030
The French president added that he hopes for it to “reach 50,000 youth by 2036, depending on evolving threats”. Those who are part of the scheme will only serve on French soil, and after that, they will be able to integrate back into society, become a reservist, or remain in the armed forces.
But if tensions do continue to ramp up, will military service be made compulsory in the UK – and what would happen if you refused any such conscription?
The French voluntary military service comes nearly 30 years after obligatory national service was put to an end, with Macron stating that France “cannot return to the time of conscription”.
He added: “This hybrid army model corresponds to the threats and risks ahead, bringing together national service youth, reservists, and the active army.”
Other European nations, including Germany and Denmark, have also launched similar projects, but what happens in the UK if the country is threatened and another world war breaks out?
In the summer, Brits were warned that the UK would need to be prepared for ‘war in our homeland’. Many are unaware of what conscription would look like if war were actually to break out today, but a look into the past can give us an idea of what it was like.
Compulsory military service was introduced in January 1916, before the outbreak of World War 1. Conscription was imposed on all single men aged between 18 and 41, with no one eligible for exemption.
However, there were men known as ‘Conscientious objectors‘ who had refused to fight for the UK against Germany, often for moral reasons.
Things changed in May 1939, when it was reintroduced before World War 2. This time round, it was imposed on all single men aged between 20 and 21 in the National Service (armed forces) Act 1939. Only the “medically unfit” and those in key industries and jobs such as baking, farming, medicine, and engineering were exempt.
The UK Parliament website states what happened back then to those who refused to serve, giving us some indication for what could happen in a WW3 scenario. It said: “Conscientious objectors had to appear before a tribunal to argue their reasons for refusing to join up. If their cases were not dismissed, they were granted one of several categories of exemption and were given non-combatant jobs.”
