A key government advisor and former Nato secretary general has said a case for mandatory civil defence roles in Britain should “be on the agenda”.
Lord George Robertson, who was appointed by Sir Keir Starmer to write the government’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR), said “there is a case” for the UK to adopt a Swedish model, where every resident is required to contribute to the country’s defence during times of high alert of war.
The model, called total defence duty, legally mandates all residents aged between 16 to 70 to serve in some way, and can include military, civil or general service.
Answering questions from the National Security Strategy Joint Committee on Monday, Lord Robertson said there “would be a case” for putting such a model forward given “the nature of the threats that we now face”.
During the meeting, Lord Robertson was asked by Lord Mark Sedwill: “We also know from the early days of the pandemic, there is something in our political culture that if something isn’t mandated, people don’t take it seriously.
“So in Sweden, every resident aged 16 to 70 has a legally defined role in civil resilience. Should we do that?”
Lord Robertson replied: “I think there is a case for that. It might go against the grain in terms of the way in which we think of ourselves. But I think given the nature of the threats that we now face, both in a civil as well as a military context, I think there would be a case for putting that forward.”
The former Labour defence secretary added: “We talk about a Defence Readiness Bill in our review, which would involve society as a whole, it appears it’s not going to be in the King’s speech…which is a pity, because it’s a crucial part of what we promoted.
“And I think ideas like that should certainly be on the agenda.”
It comes amid increasing concern over Britain’s ability to defend itself in the face of mounting global turbulence,
Lord Robertson has in recent weeks expressed concern over Britain’s ability to defend itself in the face of mounting global turbulence.
The former Nato chief accused the government of “corrosive complacency” on military spending earlier this month, claiming “non-military experts” in the Treasury were committing “vandalism”.
Downing Street hit back at Lord Robertson’s assertion that Britain was “underprepared” and “underinsured”, with the prime minister’s official spokesperson saying: “I completely reject that. Our armed forces, as I say, are working around the world every minute of the day to keep us safe at home.”