So I want to share what is practically means for people. This knowledge comes from my friends and colleagues in Austria and Sweden, countries I have spent 15 years living in - and who both have a strong belief in mandatory military service. 2/13

When I was younger the people I knew who had been conscripted were my age, and they told me about their experiences early in their adult life. A Swede was trained in communications, stayed on as a volunteer, and his knowledge kicked off a successful career in telecoms. 3/13

An Austrian was trained as a truck driver and assigned to a mountain unit. He would drop conscripts to ski training in the AM, told to collect them in the PM. He would have his skis in the truck, and being in uniform could ski for free all day! 4/13

Now that I am older what I am seeing is my Swedish friend's kids are being called up. Sweden calls about 15-20% of those turning 18 each year for assessment, and this being Sweden ~1/4 are female. Looking at four I know of: 5/13

E was called for the medical but did not pass because of his eyesight. He has been keen to go, and was disappointed but philosophical when he was not able to proceed. 6/13

T's son is in final year in school and has been given notice he is in the 20% to be assessed for next year's intake. He should get through, and is looking forward to it. 7/13

L1's daughter served in the infrantry and the hightlight of her time was serving at the royal palace in Stockholm. Her proud mother posted the photos of her participating the in changing of the guard ceremony on social media. 8/13

L2's son did his assessment (covers verbal, spatial, logical & technical, medical, physical, and psychological) and just started with the Air Force, working in a group that handles simulations and exercises. Others have told me it's VERY prestigous as a posting. 9/13

Talking to them and their parents, its clear they all looked forward to their military service. I never heard any of their parents express opposition, just the same sort of apprehension that would be there for a child leaving home to go to college. 10/13

In both Sweden and Austria military service a) is regarded as key to national defence b) it is a long standing practice c) it is a part of the national experience for people who live there - an Austrian sergeant could not believe I had never fired an assault rifle. 11/13

It can be very different elsewhere. I worked with a South African conscripted in the dying days of apartheid. He felt himself very lucky to have been assigned to be an airbase fireman. He practiced putting out burning aircraft when his friends patrolled townships. 12/13

This post is not meant to be some argument for or against mandatory military service. You can find those elsewhere (and I roll my eyes at many of them). I just wanted to share what I have seen, from the people who have actually experienced it. 13/13

Appendix 1 😋: Arguments for and against https://x.com/SK_00001/status/...

@SK_00001 Good and interesting thread. My experience is that many of our Irish cousins have considered the Finnish conscription and oddity and had hard time of reacting when my sons started to serve and we celebrated all milestones.

@PaMaask This is the thing. Irish people seem to have very little concept of what it means in practice, or as part of national policy. It means they struggle to have anything useful to say on the topic!

@SK_00001 Good job, 👍

@MoorcroftRico Thanks. I had casually mentioned to some Irish people about the friend's son joining the Airforce and was surprised at the reaction. So I felt a few words were in order 🙂

@SK_00001 You are forgetting 1 major difference between these states and Ireland, none were a colony of a major power a little over a hundred years ago and conscritipion meant fighting for the oppressor(two of them were imperial powers before), maybe this is why it shapes Irish views on it

@johnwodwyer Finland was. And they use universal conscription as a cornerstone of a comprehensive security policy to make sure they don't become a colony again

@SK_00001 I dropped my limiited IQ reading that . What utter drivel . Do you think we are children ?

@CunneenKeith Well you did admit your IQ is limited 🙄

@SK_00001 Ireland needs a nuclear deterrent. The only threat we face is the nuclear armed UK and from Islam. A conventional army is irrelevant to these threats.

@Holdmypint

@SK_00001 The military poster below also disproves a talking point.