National service
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Template:Conscription National service describes a form of military service in which all citizens (or all male citizens) of one particular nation can participate, either voluntarily or (more often) non-voluntarily.
In Great Britain, National Service was the name given to the system of military conscription employed in Great Britain between 1949 and 1960. The system of wartime conscription used between 1939 and 1949 was also officially called National Service, although in fact was usually referred to as "war service". The same term is still used to describe the compulsory military service that is still implemented in some countries, including Singapore, Greece, Germany, South Korea, Israel, Republic of China (Taiwan), Russian Federation. According to the CIA, in the United States comprehensive national service incorporates the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard, and all these branches are controlled by the president.
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United Kingdom
National Service had been introduced in 1939 and continued after the Second World War. It was formalised in peacetime by the National Service Act 1948. From January 1 1949, every man over the age of eighteen was expected to serve in the armed forces for eighteen months, and remain on the reserve list for four years thereafter. The period of basic duty was extended to two years in 1950 as a response to the Korean War, although the subsequent time in the reserves was reduced by six months to compensate. National Servicemen who showed promise could be commissioned. The Territorial Army and other reserve forces, which the former National Servicemen joined to fulfil their reserve commitment, expanded massively between 1949 and 1963, with units in almost every town and full regiments and battalions in many.
Although it officially ended on 31 December 1960, the last National Serviceman, Lieutenant Richard Vaughan of the Royal Army Pay Corps, was not discharged until 13 May 1963. The last man actually to be called up for National Service was Private Fred Turner of the Army Catering Corps, who was discharged on 7 May 1963. However, many transferred from National Service to voluntary military service and carved themselves an honourable career within the British Armed Forces.
It was the first time that peace-time conscription occurred in the UK (apart from a few months prior to war in 1939). The British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy were voluntary professional organisations before National Service began and have returned to that status since the end of National Service, despite repeated calls from social conservatives for a return to enforced conscription. The only times when conscription had previously been introduced by the Government were during the later part of the First World War and during the Second World War.
National Service had a profound effect on British society and culture. Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones, along with many young men, first heard and then played Rock and Roll whilst stationed in West Germany; authors like Leslie Thomas and David Lodge wrote books based on their experiences; actor Oliver Reed, comedian Tony Hancock, and his writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson developed their talents whilst serving in the armed forces. Most importantly, though, National Service gave something for young men to rebel against, and the end of National Service was when the idea of the teenager in Britain really began.
Singapore
Template:Main In Singapore, the National Service (Amendment) Act was passed on March 14, 1967, under which all able-bodied male citizens between 18-21 years of age are required to serve in the military for two years. Upon completion of full-time NS, they undergo reservist training cycles of 40 days a year for the next 10 years.
The rationale behind conscription is two-fold. Firstly, because Singapore has a population of about 4 million (as of 2004), a military solely comprised of regulars would simply be too small to adequately defend the country. Secondly, national service serves to foster racial harmony among the Chinese, Malay, Indian and other communities by integrating all male citizens and permanent residents for the common purpose of national defense, and thus, encouraging the inculcation of a national identity as one united people.
Currently, women are not conscripted for national service, though there have been debates about the issue.
Films about National Service
United Kingdom
- Carry On Sergeant (1958)
- The Virgin Soldiers (1969) (based on the novel by Leslie Thomas)
Singapore
- Army Daze (1996)