Image of men in military uniform. UK military conscription.

Aaliah Patel

The UK military chief has warned of conscription for British people. They believe citizens part of a “pre-war generation” must be trained for a potential war against Russia. 

INVOLVING BRITISH PUBLIC IN MILITARY

The outgoing head of the British Army, General Patrick Sanders, has said that a “citizen army” must be trained up in the event of a future war against Russia. Military officials are calling for the voluntary involvement of the British public considering the declining population of the British Army compared to past years.

At an armoured vehicle conference, Sanders said: “Over the last 30 years, the army has been halved in size; in the last 12 years, we’ve absorbed a 28% reduction.”

“Within the next three years, it must be credible to talk of a British Army of 120,000, folding in our reserve and strategic reserve. But this is not enough,” he added.

The British army is currently a professional force of 73,000, shrinking from 100,000 in 2010 and 102,000 in 2006.

The chief also said: “We will not be immune and as the prewar generation we must similarly prepare – and that is a whole-of-nation undertaking.

“Ukraine brutally illustrates that regular armies start wars; citizen armies win them.”

Although the Ministry of Defence has distanced itself from Sanders’ views, former defence minister Tobias Ellwood said the military should be “listened to carefully,” as reported by Sky News.

Ellwood also stated: “What’s coming over the horizon should shock us. It should worry us and we are not prepared.”

WILL THERE BE UK MILITARY CONSCRIPTION?

Talks of conscription and the reformation of a National Service has been circulating since the military chief’s speech.

The National Service was a form of conscription during peacetime after the Second World War. The last time a National Service was introduced in the UK was in 1949, requiring all men aged between 17 to 21 to serve in the armed forces for 18 months. This service ceased in 1960.

Former supreme NATO commander, General Sir Richard Sherriff, told Sky News it is the “right time” to be considering conscription in the UK.

Other countries also have models of mandatory conscription and military service. For example, Finland conscripts at 18. Finland’s active army is only 20,000, but when mobilised it can expand to 280,000.

Similarly, Sweden conscripts both men and women for 11 months of military service.

Despite UK military support for conscription, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The British military has a proud position of being a voluntary force. As I say, there’s no plan for conscription.

“I think these kinds of hypothetical scenarios, talking about a conflict, are not helpful and I don’t think it’s right to engage with them.”

The Ministry of Defence said it had no plans to advocate a return to national service.

THE FATE OF A ‘PRE-WAR GENERATION’

A recent YouGov poll revealed that more than a third of under-40s would refuse conscription if a world war emerged. Additionally, seven percent said they would volunteer if a war broke out and 11 percent would only volunteer if British land was under threat.

General Sir Richard Dannatt, former general in the British Army, has warned: “There is a serious danger of history repeating itself,” as he likened the UK’s armed forces to that against Hitler in the 1930s.

Dannatt continued: “If our armed forces are not strong enough to deter future aggression from Moscow or Beijing it will not be a small war to contend with but a major one.”

Debates about military forces and defence cuts display questions on the fate of current generations.

Grant Shapps, the defence secretary said the world is “moving from a postwar to prewar world.” He stated that the UK wants to increase defence spending from 2.1 percent of GDP to 2.5 percent in the future.

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Featured image courtesy of Diego Gonzalez via Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image licence found here.

Politics & Current Affairs writer

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