Could Voluntary Service Programs Boost Military Defense in Europe?

CGTN Europe

Retired Air Vice-Marshal and military analyst Sean Bell spoke to CGTN Europe about President Macron’s plan to introduce voluntary military service amid “accelerating threats.”

Transcript

00:00I'm joined now by Sean Bell, a retired British Air Vice Marshal and military analyst.

00:04Sean, thanks so much for joining us.

00:06Let's just pick up on what President Macron's been saying.

00:09It's a 10-month program. It's voluntary for the teens, late teens.

00:14Do you think the sort of voluntary service program is a good idea?

00:18Yes, I mean, I think, I mean, let's face it, President Chirac in 1997 got rid of the conscription.

00:25They haven't had anything like that in France for the best part of 30 years.

00:29It's the size of the French forces. It's about 200,000 strong.

00:33They've got 45,000 reservists.

00:35What they're aiming to do is double the number of reservists in the next decade.

00:39And the volunteers, they're only actually targeting about 6% of the age group you've identified.

00:45Is it a good idea, though?

00:46I think most nations in Europe at the moment are feeling the heat of the Russian invasion.

00:51They're seeing how vulnerable Ukraine is looking,

00:54that actually it's looking more likely, not less likely, that Ukraine might fall.

00:58And therefore, what next?

01:00And I do think that military capability, as a former military guy,

01:04military capability is not just equipment.

01:06It's equipment and people.

01:08And therefore, creating a body of people, more reservists,

01:11can only be a good thing for the military defense of any nation.

01:15Other European countries, I think about 10 of them,

01:17actually have military conscription.

01:20In other words, all young people, mostly men for most countries,

01:24have to do a period of military service.

01:27Do you think this is all pointing to an expectation of conflict with Russia?

01:34I'm not so sure it's conflict with Russia.

01:36I think there's a whole series of things that are happening.

01:39First of all, when we talk about Europe,

01:41we do run the risk that it's one size fits all.

01:45Having recently visited Ukraine, gone through Poland,

01:47Poland feels the heat of this invasion a lot more than the UK does.

01:52Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia feel it far more,

01:55as former Soviet Union states.

01:58And I think, therefore, the closer you are to this attack,

02:01the more you feel the heat, the more you feel the need

02:04to try and make a more robust situation.

02:06Bear in mind that conscription is at face value, is getting more soldiers.

02:11But actually, there are lots of other benefits to it.

02:13Not only does the population have more of an understanding of how the military operates,

02:18it also means that they have more empathy.

02:21They clearly don't want to end up funding defence,

02:24but they do accept that compromises are required.

02:28And also it means that if the country ever does go to war,

02:30you've now identified a load of people that have the skill sets and experience,

02:35so they don't take to the battlefields with a week or two of experience,

02:38which is what some of the Ukrainians are doing,

02:40and that is very dangerous for them.

02:42So you're more survivable if you have that background training.

02:45So I think there are lots of benefits to having an increased awareness.

02:48I just think politically it's been quite difficult,

02:51but some countries that are closer to this threat

02:53are having to take hard measures like conscription

02:56to try and address the shortfall.

02:58Well, thank you so much.

02:59That's Sean Bell, a retired British Air Vice-Marshal and military analyst.

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