When the first batch of National Service soldiers report for duty tomorrow, they will represent an entirely different segment of Emirati society to those who preceded them. For a start, as Emirati men aged between 30 and 40, many will be more accustomed to giving orders than taking them and more than a few will be older than some of their instructors.
But more importantly, every member of this intake is outside the age of compulsory military service and has chosen to serve. Their age means many will be in senior positions at work and have families, making the 15-week service more of an imposition than for their younger counterparts.
There are compelling reasons to offer the option of National Service to an older group. Quite apart from the obvious one about providing a capacity for patriotic Emiratis to give back to their country, people in their thirties bring a different set of skills, maturity and life experience to their service from someone who has recently left school or university. One justification for conscription was to augment young Emiratis’ life skills but that is far less of a factor for someone who might have been in the workforce for up to 20 years.
However quite apart from the physical requirements of military service, nobody should underestimate the burden of doing National Service in one’s thirties. Hadi Al Badi, 36, is a case in point. He is a vice-president of a local energy company, has two infants at home and is also part of UAE University’s doctoral programme. Taking 15 weeks out of civilian life is a serious undertaking on several levels and the burden is borne by the wider community, with employers and the participants’ families also contributing. But it is worth remembering that National Service was always intended to be mutually beneficial, by increasing our country’s military capacity and by also providing new skills for the recruits. Those who choose to serve when the burden of time and responsibilities are higher deserve our support and gratitude.
