this post was submitted on 16 May 2025
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Considering the state of the world, I wouldn't be against mandatory military service. Maybe people still won't stay, but they might have higher retention than now. Plus, we'd have citizens that have been trained and ready to defend the country if needed.
Just to be clear, the reason new recruits are leaving is because of the following (from the article) ...
This needs more attention. It's the start of a death spiral of expertise in the armed forces. Eventually those trainers are going to retire or leave, and we're not training their replacements.
Ah OK thanks for clarifying.
Edit: I thought about it and it could still provide a bigger pool of professionals to pick from to train people. Which could potentially fix the problem.
I'm very sorry they are unhappy and Canada needs to retain recruits.
Considering the US's history of aggression towards Canada, I'm honestly surprised we don't already have compulsory military service. Ask any free country bordering Russia if it's such a terrible idea.
Doesn't seem to be much of a hardship for Europeans like the Swiss. It does give pause to other countries when they know most civvies know how to use the rifles they've been sent home with.
what does "If needed" mean?
If its mobilizing to fight in Europe, thats one thing. * Assuming Russian agents or comprimised American/Canadian Sympathiser dont blow up our own armories.*
If its mobilizing to defend our own country from a physical invasion. Theres only one country on earth that has the means to take Canada, and it isnt a country that has to cross an ocean to do so. Repeat what I said about armories getting blown up by American sympathisers.
given our proximity and exposure to the politically turmoiled USA, and all the problems thats brought with people on edge in our own country, I dont think the Swiss solution of making every young man in the country become a reservist, and making every reservist take home an assault rifle incase of invasion, is going to work. We'll have our own Sandy Hook the next day.
I think the idea would be, if the US invades Canada, to make us more like Afghanistan than Switzerland. Or perhaps Finland is a better comparison, being somewhere in the middle.
You know there's more to the army than infantry.
A soldier with a gun is the most fundemental element of a military or resistance.
if you dont have that in order, you're in serious trouble
Our conventional military forces, even with mandatory service, won't compete against our threats.
If anything the training will be useful for the deserters who then go on to form rebel and guerrilla factions, similar to what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan when the armed forces melted away into an underground resistance.
Canada isn't going to fight and win a symmetric war with any of our adversaries. I think our able bodied people and military equipment would be better used off the conventional battlefield.
You mean, against the invading and occupying forces of the United States? Whom invaded under false pretext? Like they keep saying they want to do to Canada?
I'm not sure what you think my comment is saying but yeah United States is a danger and so too might Russia or China be, all are beyond our capabilities.
Most Canadians understand that, but it doesn't negate the fact the many of us can (and should) be trained in sabotage, guerilla tactics and insurgency strategies that could help fight against a US/China/Russia invasion.
That was my point, really. I guess if you're thinking of military training as resistance training then we agree. I think training our young men and women to immediately blow up in tanks and planes and die in trenches isn't going to be useful.
I guess I don't see the Canadian military training a bunch of Che Guevaras.
Why not? I mean not everyone has the leadership abilities to become a Che Guevara, but we should all learn what we can to help each other survive.
Remind people to purchase enough canned food and bottled water to last 3-4 weeks, train others on how to operate drones, take courses to learn how to be a medic, etc etc.
There's all kinds of training that can come from military training that could help us all. It's never been just about shooting a gun.
The US is the biggest threat here. Russia can't even support their one war against Ukraine. And China? I think we overestimate them.
Besides, the US would find it difficult to find enough recruits willing to fight Canadians. But whoever is left could be a big threat, still.
We'd have a much better fighting chance by training people than not at all.