UK conscription age vary for males as WW3 army service warning issued
The UK could bring back conscription, according to a new RUSI report, which calls for the government to scale up military recruitment plans as the threat of conflict with Russia grows
Growing global threats have sparked growing calls for the UK to focus more on defence(Image: Getty)
Men within specific age brackets could face call-up for conscription following fresh alerts about the necessity to ready Britain for the potential eruption of World War 3. The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) has called upon the Government to ramp up enlistment strategies as the likelihood of conflict with Russia becomes an increasingly real prospect.
The UK’s premier defence think tank, established in 1831, cautioned that mobilisation will need to extend “beyond expanding the volunteer reserves” or recalling Britons who previously served in the strategic reserve.
Should a future conflict arise, UK conscription would probably mirror historical patterns. As World War 2 approached, conscription commenced for men aged between 20 and 22 in 1939, up to six months before hostilities erupted, with the age bracket expanded to include any man from 18 to 41-years-old when war was declared.
By the close of 1941, men aged up to 51 were being summoned for military duty, with those aged between 52 and 60 also obliged to participate in “some form”.
This follows persistent appeals for military service or conscription to address worries over Britain’s capacity to protect itself should a third worldwide conflict materialise.
Such appeals have been primarily fuelled by anxieties surrounding the scale of the UK’s armed forces when measured against Russia, with the latter deploying approximately one million full-time personnel, while Britain fields roughly 140,000. Several European nations, including France and Germany, have already reintroduced some form of military service in response to escalating global threats, prompting calls for Keir Starmer’s government to do the same.
Paul O’Neill, a senior associate fellow at RUSI, told The Sun: “We have a tradition in the UK of doing these things too late.”, reports the Express.
He continued: “Mobilisation for the First World War and Second World War – typically, it has been late and I can absolutely understand why. Governments do not want to commit to economic costs of mobilisation where they are not confident it is absolutely necessary.
“So I am not trying to be tough on politicians in this regard. But I think we need to start the growth journey now.”
The report suggests that Britain should follow France’s lead by initially introducing small-scale selective conscription “to see how that works and to flesh out some of the challenges that might be involved” in a broader roll-out.
It also advocates for a detailed plan for wartime mobilisation, including “clearer roles” for veterans and reservists who could be swiftly recalled for duty.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
