Sweden to bring back national conscription

Sweden has announced it is reinstating compulsory military service this year due to the rising political threat across Europe.

Citing an increased national security threat from Russia, the small Scandinavian state says it is time to secure its borders and increase military power.

Sweden ended its national conscription program in 2010 and has not been involved in a conflict for 200 years, but says times are changing, reports News Corp.

National conscription has been a sore point for many people around the world for years.

Australia ended its most recent national service program in December 1972 when Gough Whitlam came into power during the height of the Vietnam War.

The draft had been in place since 1964 and saw protests across the country and some men arrested for refusing to serve.

Some 804,286 twenty-year-olds registered for national service during that time, with 63,735 national servicemen serving in the Army and 15,381 serving in Vietnam.

With increasing political tension around the world and pressure to stabilise the Middle East, national conscription could become an option for other countries besides Sweden.

Would you ever support national conscription in Australia? Or is it a bad idea?