War, conscription & fitness

[petitetiti]

I have no idea how fit people were the last time there was military conscription in the UK. I don't think even a small fraction of the 18 to 50 (?) are nearly fit enough. What happened in Ukraine? What would happen in the UK? It would take YEARS to get this generation fit again.

Not discipline enough either. Perhaps conscription might knock a bit of discipline into some though.

What do you think would happen. People would be conscripted because there was a crisis and fitness would improve to some degree while working. Others would still be conscripted but couldn't do some manual tasks / work in some roles

Mental health issues would be dismissed mostly and not affect conscription status

So wish I hadn’t seen this thread…

My recollection is that conscription revealed what a terrible state of health a significant proportion of the population were in... which contributed to the momentum to establish a universal health service.

This generation are HUGELY fitter than the first or second world war generation, hardly any of them have syphilis, TB, cataracts, miners lungs, rickets, scurvy, or any of the thousands of causes of ill health that dogged earlier generations.

There are many reasons conscription wont happen, poor health of young people is not one of them.

I doubt it would take years, I'd say three months of training for healthy people who are a healthy weight or at the lower end of overweight.

Conscription won't happen
The population is far too cynical and self absorbed now

This reminds me of a time we tried to recruit via the Job Centre. I'm with you.

Do we think this will actually happen? Person who try's not to read too much news sorry!

Not, it's not happening. Just a hypothetical argument.

Self absorbed or informed enough to not sacrifice themselves to fight in wars started by old white men?

Why so many posts like this tonight on MN? It looks like it's the same poster trying to drum up worry and hysteria. The user names are a similar style. Get a life!

The state of the population won't have am effect on if conscription will happen or not. If there is a crisis , it will, and it will be mandatory.

I mean I’d fight for my children in my country. Would I sacrifice myself for others in another country with no relevance to my families life’s at home. No.

we never get thanks as the U.K. for sticking our noses into issues anywhere in the world. When we do help it’s never enough or it’s the wrong help or too late or whatever. We still end up on the wrong end of the blame game with many of our troops dead and given up lots of our supplies and resources.

I thought the same thing! I've got MS so I'm out!

Things like these tend to be done in stages if the time line allows. So you send the proper army out then ask for volunteers that get to train for while before being sent off. You rely on public good will and if circumstances allow you set up "home guards" based on volunteers as well that get a bit less training. If numbers are very low and conscription comes in place , special permission can be given to people whose health needs would put them or others at risk. Only when truly desperate (basically everyone else that's suitable is dead) and normally in a last hail mary attempt, you pick absolutely everyone left and use them as cannon fodder.

Perhaps all the young fit Men arriving on dinghys should have to do 3 years conscription to become British citizens.

People seem to be forgetting that although our Armed forces have shrunk, we have a lot of reservists and TA. It’s the TA who are doing a lot of the training of Ukraine’s Soldiers, a friend has been doing it for a year now.

If national conscription in a war setting actually happened, they would be doing all the non-combatant work like supplies/ cooking/ laundry etc. to allow our properly trained Men and Women to do their jobs.

If it's mandatory and say for example my son refused to go would that mean prison?

I don't think it's something that is going to happen imminently.

But could it happen? Sure.

Self absorbed?

So we live in a country that's put an older generation through war then abandoned them to live in mouldy flats, having to chose to 'eat or heat' with zero help with the mental and physical issues directly caused by their 'service'.

And we clearly see this.

There's no affordable homes for us, we're being crippled by the government. Rising living costs, lack of health care, lack of support for anyone dealing with mental health issues. People dying of cancer because they can't get appointments fast enough. No quality of life, rising pension ages, air pollution

They've basically thrown the working (and creeping into middle) class under the bus and told us to fuck ourselves and work harder basically whilst they sit in their 2nd and 3rd homes claiming expenses on their lunches from Pret and a £50 bottle of wine....

And now they want to push us I to Russia as cannon fodder as they watch from the safety and warmth of their country homes with their grown kids who I'm sure will have some sort of trustfund exemption.

Fuck that. Fuck it this way, fuck it that way and fuck it sideways too, just for good luck.

Conscriptions is not on the cards.

But if it were, lack of fitness is pretty easily remedied throughout basic training, when there would be daily phys and remedial sessions added on for those who need them. As you'd be in camp, diet would be controlled too.

What would be the real challenge , and much harder, is instilling the esprit de corps, sense of duty and common purpose, and possibly a shift from considering self to considering team

As well as learning your trade and how to fight

I read a poll somewhere said that 40% would point blank refuse to go. I don't think they can put 40% of 18 to 40yr olds in prison. They were saying to judges not to jail rapists and burglars recently as there's no room for them.

I've got my bus pass, I could be in the Home Guard!!.