Bring Back Compulsory Military Training, Urges Peters

New Zealand First has urged the Government to seriously consider bringing back a form of compulsory military training for troubled youth to ease the worrying shortage of military personnel.

Rt Hon Winston Peters said today that safety and security was the first priority of any government, yet the New Zealand Defence Force had been run down to the extent the Government has been recruiting civilians overseas.

“Most countries have some form of compulsory military training with young people required by law to serve in the armed forces for a fixed term. After the initial full time training period they would serve part time for a further term and be available for deployment if and when required.

“Not only would this provide New Zealand with badly-needed personnel, it would also provide a stable environment for some of our young people who are desperately in need of some positive direction in their lives.

“The idea of recruiting non-New Zealand civilians to serve in our military is a gross insult to the many thousands of men and women who did their duty to their country, even to the point of making the ultimate sacrifice.

“This is not warmongering. As a rule, we are not a nation that rushes into fighting battles overseas but we do have to be in a position to defend ourselves and play a positive role as peacekeepers.

“We cannot expect others to defend us if we are not prepared to do so ourselves and we are sure that most young people would realize this,” said Mr Peters.

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