Michelle Dewberry has expressed deep concern over the prospect of conscription in Britain, saying the idea "sends chills down my spine" following warnings from former defence secretary Lord Hammond about young men being unprepared to fight for the country.
Her comments follow Lord Hammond's call for radical changes to combat the threat of Russian aggression.
Lord Hammond recently warned that young men are "totally unprepared" to fight a war for Britain.
The former defence secretary and chancellor called for radical societal changes.
Speaking on GB News, Michelle Dewberry said: "I've warned and exercised caution on this programme quite a few times now because we are constantly discussing these issues.
"People championing and celebrating boots on the ground.
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"But I think people are actually losing sight of the fact that we are heading in a direction where all of our loved ones, especially those with a military background, could find themselves in the not-too-distant future being conscripted to fight in this war, if not others as well.
"That thought, ladies and gentlemen, sends chills down my spine."
Broadcaster Peter Hitchens said: "It is ridiculous. I think it's particularly extraordinary that retired military personnel are saying this because every serious person in the military knows that conscription does enormous damage to professional armed forces.
"They have to spend an awful lot of time herding and shepherding people with no military experience and trying to train them in the absolute basics.
"The standards of their regulars are lowered because they’re diluted by large numbers of people with no experience, who don’t know how to handle weapons, have never been in combat, and have received only the most basic education in what they have to do.
"So that’s the general view among professional military personnel: conscription is undesirable."
Michelle later added: "It's getting all of these hoodlums, if you would like, disciplined. But that doesn't stop there, does it? Essentially what we're saying, it's not about just kind of getting up and making your bed in the morning.
"It's about potentially sending your sons, or yourselves if you're that kind of age, over to the front line to places like Ukraine to fight in these wars that many people are suggesting have been overly whipped up and shouldn't have even commenced in the first place."
Military insiders caution that while the Ukraine war has weakened Putin, Trump's "apparent appeasement has served to embolden him".
Russia has mobilised onto a "semi-permanent war economy footing", exceeding the combined military spending of all Europe on a purchasing-power parity basis.
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Her comments follow Lord Hammond's call for radical changes to combat the threat of Russian aggression.
Lord Hammond recently warned that young men are "totally unprepared" to fight a war for Britain.
The former defence secretary and chancellor called for radical societal changes.
Speaking on GB News, Michelle Dewberry said: "I've warned and exercised caution on this programme quite a few times now because we are constantly discussing these issues.
"People championing and celebrating boots on the ground.
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"But I think people are actually losing sight of the fact that we are heading in a direction where all of our loved ones, especially those with a military background, could find themselves in the not-too-distant future being conscripted to fight in this war, if not others as well.
"That thought, ladies and gentlemen, sends chills down my spine."
Broadcaster Peter Hitchens said: "It is ridiculous. I think it's particularly extraordinary that retired military personnel are saying this because every serious person in the military knows that conscription does enormous damage to professional armed forces.
"They have to spend an awful lot of time herding and shepherding people with no military experience and trying to train them in the absolute basics.
"The standards of their regulars are lowered because they’re diluted by large numbers of people with no experience, who don’t know how to handle weapons, have never been in combat, and have received only the most basic education in what they have to do.
"So that’s the general view among professional military personnel: conscription is undesirable."
Michelle later added: "It's getting all of these hoodlums, if you would like, disciplined. But that doesn't stop there, does it? Essentially what we're saying, it's not about just kind of getting up and making your bed in the morning.
"It's about potentially sending your sons, or yourselves if you're that kind of age, over to the front line to places like Ukraine to fight in these wars that many people are suggesting have been overly whipped up and shouldn't have even commenced in the first place."
Military insiders caution that while the Ukraine war has weakened Putin, Trump's "apparent appeasement has served to embolden him".
Russia has mobilised onto a "semi-permanent war economy footing", exceeding the combined military spending of all Europe on a purchasing-power parity basis.
Find Out More...