deplete

Rishi's idea is not popular among pundits.

Rishi Sunak’s national service pledge is ‘bonkers’, says ex-military chief
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/26/rishi-sunaks-national-service-pledge-is-bonkers-says-ex-military-chief

word
bonkers - adjective, not plural nouns
figure [Collins](B2)Someone who is referred to as a figure of a particular kind is a person who is well-known and important in some way.
[quote]former military leaders and Tory figures have said in a new blow to the Conservatives’ faltering election campaign.[unquote]
deplete
suck out
hollow out
ill-thought-out <> well-thought-out
crack down [quote]£1bn would come from cracking down on tax avoidance[unquote]

defence word
chief of the naval staff, chief of the general staff
staff [Collins]the officers appointed to assist a commander, service, or central headquarters organisation in establishing policy, plans, etc
defence minister
national service[wiki]National service is the system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service.
royal commission [wiki]a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue in some monarchies

I'm confused of minister and secretary. I know Michael Portillo, but who is Andrew Murrison?
It looks five minister positions in MoD, according to Wiki.
[quote]placing “potentially unwilling” recruits with professional soldiers “could damage morale, recruitment and retention and would consume professional military and naval resources”.[unquote]

I thought it's sort of a trial balloon, but it's not the first time Tories mention about this.
[quote]As Suella Braverman once said, when you’re in a hole, keep digging.”[unquote]

Napoleon is in a comment of the shadow defence secretary
[quote]Since 2010, Tory ministers have missed recruitment targets every year, hollowed out and underfunded our armed forces, and cut the British army to its smallest size since Napoleon. [unquote]

The article mention how small is the size.
Conservatives want to bring back compulsory national service
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpddxy9r4mdo
[quote]Cuts in the British Army have seen its size fall from more than 100,000 in 2010 to around 73,000 as of January 2024.[unquote]

My concern is Japan LDP will follow this Tory's idea. Japanese media and opposition parties are weak, not like UK.
It sounds like totally impractical as Farage said, but I don't think this is just a joke or a nonsense.
It seems me that the war is approaching to the western countries including Japan.