New England Online > Military > National Service
National Service
By law, all New England men and women may be required to perform a year of National Service with the New England Defence Force (NEDF) when the finish sixth form. The basic role of National Service is to provide for the defence of New England and to relieve professional soldiers from ancillary tasks that reduce the front line capacity of the NEDF.
About 65% of all New Englanders turning 18 opt to join the NEDF when they finish school, with the remaining objectors and exempted placed into either the Community Assistance Corps or the Civic Service Corps. Every year, around 25,500 people become eligible for National Service, of which around 16,500 are conscripted. After they complete their nine months of full-time service, servicemen are required to complete five years of part-time service in the territorial militia. In an emergency, all former serviceman can be recalled to service up to age of 49.
The process of introducing National Service was one of most divisive in New England's history. Two plebiscites were held in 2024 and 2034, which bitterly divided public opinion and all the major political parties. After it's rejection in 2024, the threat of invasion of the Five Day War prompted a second plebiscite which was approved by a large margin in 2034. National Service was therefore introduced in January 2036.
- Military Service
- Air Force
- Army
- Navy
- Exemptions
- History
Military Service
Draftees who do not state that they are conscientious objectors and do not request service in the Community Assistance Corps are by default drafted into the NEDF. Around 65% of all school leavers opt to perform National Service. The service does not discriminate on the basis of gender, and all men and women are called up. Conscripts cannot be deployed to active service to anywhere outside of New England.
The National Service system is closely modeled after the German Wehrpflicht. The process consists of three months of combat training, then six months service to an assigned post. The conscripted soldier is not normally promoted above the rank of Serviceman (OR-1), but those showing some talent or a desire to remain with the NEDF may be promoted to Private (OR-2) or Lance Corporal (OR-3). During service servicemen get free health care, housing, food and a railway ticket. Conscripts get paid between C48.45 and C55.67 per day of basic pay (depending on rank) plus bonus payments.
In an emergency, all former serviceman can be recalled to service up to age of 49. To facilitate this, all former conscripts must attend one weeks worth of training every year from the time they leave the militia until the age of 49 (which can be extended for a year up to the age of 55 if the person so wishes). A person can defer training for a year if they have a pressing need, but they must attend three out of every five years or face possible censure.
The structure of the course is the same, regardless of the service in which they enlist. Recruits cannot list a preference for which service they would like to serve, with the allocation determined by the following ratio:
- Army: 69%
- Navy: 17%
- Air Force: 14%
Despite this, preference is given to the families of former full-time personnel or members of cadet units. The figures quoted below are for the January 2050 intake.
Air Force - 2,310 conscripts are posted to the Royal New England Air Force every year. All are posted to support roles on the various airfields and radar stations across the country. All conscripts are posted to either the Metropolitan or Western divisions.
Army - The Army receives 69% of all conscripts every year. In 2050, 11,385 men and women were conscripted into the Army. There are presently ten battalion sized units, of which the majority are infantry units. These units are divided up into the three operational divisions of the NEDF, Six for the Metropolitan Division, five for the Eastern Division and four to the Western Division.
Navy - The Royal New England Navy has 2,805 conscripts annually which are usually assigned to the two major dockyards in Port Macquarie and Yamba. Those that show a degree of talent can be assigned to a ship for a brief stint during their six month posting.
Exemptions
Potential conscripts can be exempt from service for various reasons. The most frequent reason for exoneration is a medical exemption due to ill health or disability. All conscripts, including conscientious objectors, must attend a medical examination unless otherwise exempted. Those who do not fulfil certain standards do not have to serve in the military, or in some circumstances, the Community Assistance Corps/Civic Service Corps.
Convicted criminals sentenced to more than a year in gaol or those charged with a serious crime are not drafted for military service. Most are instead forced into an extended Community Assistance Corps programme that aims to train and rehabilitate them back into society.
Another provision exonerates any person from military service whose parents or siblings died in a military or civil service. Single parents with children are also free to choose, as the NEDF has not yet any capacity to manage conscripts with children. Changes to allow parents with children are being put together by the NEDF, and subject to approval, may be implemented in time for the 2056 intake.
Students accepted for training in areas of important public interest may be exempt from military service on request. This includes emergency services personnel, teachers, doctors and nurses.
History
When New England was an Australian possession, there were several occasions where National Service existed. The last of these schemes ended during the Vietnam War. For the next fifty years, the idea of conscription was reviled the public, in particular, the "baby boomer" generation. It was not until their passing that the issue once again came into the political mainstream.
By 2020, there were fears within the defence establishment that the New England Defence Force would not have the manpower to hold off an invasion from Australia if it were launched. The alternative to a bloody and destructive guerilla insurgency (such as had been seen in Vietnam and Iraq) was conscription. The idea was not appealing to the centre-left coalition government of Antonia Davidson. Two parties, the Social Democratic Party and the Greens, opposed the idea outright. The Labour Party also opposed conscription, but joined with the United Party and National Party to put the question to a plebiscite.
A bitter public debate ensued, with opponents calling those in favour of the scheme "butchers". The SDP and Greens promised to ignore the vote if elected to office, which in turn prompted the National and United parties to label them as "out of touch" and "arrogant". It was also revealed that the NEDF would struggle to train and equip conscripts without a significant influx of funding, teachers and capital works programmes to make the scheme effective. These revelations were enough to convince many electors that the scheme was flawed, and it was soundly defeated.
The issue remained off the agenda until July 2032 when the Five Day War led to the humiliation of the Australian and American forces in the region. Fearing recriminations the government immediately called up all militia personnel into full-time operations for two years. At the same time, the government announced that National Service was now "inevitable", but was prevented from introducing the scheme by a resistant parliament. Negotiations with minor parties led to the issue being scheduled for a second plebiscite to be held in 2036. However, it was decided to bring the vote forward to March 2034 in order to see the matter dealt with sooner.
Again, there was a sustained opposition from far left parties. The Greens, Progressives and Roman Catholic Church all opposed the scheme, while the SDLP and Alliance allowed a conscience vote on the matter. The National Party and Democratic Conservatives were fully in favour of the scheme and campaigned vigorously to support it. Fears that the army could not cope were allayed by a massive spending increase, with the highlight being a package for teachers to be paid incentives to spend up to five years as trainers in the Defence Force. Opinion polls were evenly divided throughout the campaign period, but on the day, the vote was carried by a two-thirds majority.
