THE IDEA OF COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING.

THE IDEA OF COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING.

While a private member’s Bill on compulsory military training in the country, moved by BJP Member of Parliament from Punjab Avinash Rai Khanna, was voted out on the floor of the House, The Former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar stated in the Rajya Sabha that compulsory military training was an “excellent idea” and the government may introduce it at the college level in some border districts as a pilot project.
This has rekindled an old debate on the subject. There have been in the past several calls by some lawmakers as well as other citizens to introduce compulsory military training. The governments of the day have rejected such a notion for political, ethical, economic and social reasons.
Compulsory military training would require eligible youth — Khanna’s Bill proposed one-year training for those in the age group of 14-15 — to learn the basic skills of being a soldier. Its purpose is to inculcate discipline and a nationalist feeling, to have a reserve of trained manpower in case of a war and to make up for force deficiencies in the standing forces during peace time.
There are a large number of countries, mostly the Third World, where it is mandatory for individuals, including females, of a particular age group to not only undergo military training but also serve in the armed forces — conscription as it is known — generally for two to three years.
Countries like Israel, Russia, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Brazil, Norway and Iran have conscription, including some national service alternate to military service, while countries like United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Australia have abolished conscription.
Some countries like China, Japan and India never enforced conscription. In India’s immediate neighbourhood, no country has conscription. Many of the countries enforcing conscription have small standing armed forces.
From what it appears so far, the talk is about compulsory military training and not conscription. In India, the basic military training course for recruits joining the rank and file is nine months. While there is no indication as to what model would be adopted, if at all, the compulsory military training capsule would presumably be for a much lesser duration. It could be devoting a few hours in a week to holding training camps for a fixed duration.
A similar model already exists in schools and colleges in the form of the National Cadet Corps (NCC). The largest youth volunteer organisation of its kind in the world with a strength of about 15 lakh cadets, its mandate is personality development and inculcating discipline. Military and adventure training is imparted by personnel drawn from the armed forces through regular weekly parades and conducting camps. It also serves as a limited feeder agency for the armed forces.
As far as discipline is concerned, it is a state of mind — the assertion of willpower and self-control to follow a particular dictum. The inculcation of discipline begins at home right from childhood and continues through life. Discipline also has to be juxtaposed with moral upbringing and the social environment.

training was an “excellent idea” and the government may introduce it at the college level in some border districts as a pilot project. This has rekindled an old debate on the subject. There have been in the past several calls by some lawmakers as well as other citizens to introduce compulsory military training. The governments of the day have rejected such a notion for political, ethical, economic and social reasons. Compulsory military training would require eligible youth — Khanna’s Bill proposed one-year training for those in the age group of 14-15 — to learn the basic skills of being a soldier. Its purpose is to inculcate discipline and a nationalist feeling, to have a reserve of trained manpower in case of a war and to make up for force deficiencies in the standing forces during peace time. There are a large number of countries, mostly the Third World, where it is mandatory for individuals, including females, of a particular age group to not only undergo military training but also serve in the armed forces — conscription as it is known — generally for two to three years. Countries like Israel, Russia, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Brazil, Norway and Iran have conscription, including some national service alternate to military service, while countries like United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Australia have abolished conscription. Some countries like China, Japan and India never enforced conscription. In India’s immediate neighbourhood, no country has conscription. Many of the countries enforcing conscription have small standing armed forces. From what it appears so far, the talk is about compulsory military training and not conscription. In India, the basic military training course for recruits joining the rank and file is nine months. While there is no indication as to what model would be adopted, if at all, the compulsory military training capsule would presumably be for a much lesser duration. It could be devoting a few hours in a week to holding training camps for a fixed duration. A similar model already exists in schools and colleges in the form of the National Cadet Corps (NCC). The largest youth volunteer organisation of its kind in the world with a strength of about 15 lakh cadets, its mandate is personality development and inculcating discipline. Military and adventure training is imparted by personnel drawn from the armed forces through regular weekly parades and conducting camps. It also serves as a limited feeder agency for the armed forces. As far as discipline is concerned, it is a state of mind — the assertion of willpower and self-control to follow a particular dictum. The inculcation of discipline begins at home right from childhood and continues through life. Discipline also has to be juxtaposed with moral upbringing and the social environment. more