Military experts have warned Britain’s armed forces are at their weakest point since the Napoleonic wars, with younger single men and women potentially facing conscription
It was barely a month ago that the UK’s defence chief took to the podium for his final address of the year and delivered a shocking warning; Britain’s “sons and daughters” must be prepared to fight.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton described the world as “more dangerous than I have known during my career”, but even he might have been surprised at just how quickly the security landscape has deteriorated in the subsequent weeks.
Both eastward and westward, it appears evident that the international conventions and regulations supporting the world as we understand it are swiftly evolving.
America’s detention of Nicolas Maduro, NATO’s turmoil over Donald Trump’s fresh threats towards Greenland, and the US-orchestrated seizure of a Russian-flagged vessel off the Scottish coastline last week represent just some of the latest tension points.
And there’s no mistaking it – Britain’s defences are far from robust, reports the Express.
The stark caution from the Chief of the Defence Staff wasn’t particularly novel or a direct appeal for military service, yet many contend the UK risks leaving itself with limited options as Labour struggles to provide funding whilst facing a potential £28 billion deficit.
Robert Lyman, a former Army major and military historian, cautioned that the UK finds itself in a “much worse” state than before World War Two erupted.
“Our armed forces have never been so denuded of power since the Napoleonic wars,” he said. “It’s really hard to describe how poorly-prepared we are – we have an Army that is probably smaller than it was during the Napoleonic wars.
“We all talk about the need for technology and how cyber and drones will win the next war. All of that is palpable nonsense.
“The way that wars are won are by mass of intelligence, infantry, armour and artillery, well-coordinated using technology to assist them.
“You can’t win wars using small armies.”
He added: “I’m afraid at the moment Britain is uniquely ill-defended and even worse than that, the Government is doing nothing about it.”
The UK has only ever had two periods of conscription, between 1916 and 1920, and 1939 and 1960.
Mr Lyman said it was “effective”, but bringing it back is only likely if there is a “clear, present and existential danger” to the UK.
The issue has gathered pace amid growing concerns over the threat posed by Russia and the UK’s ability to stand up for itself.
Britain has around 141,300 full-time troops, a number dwarfed by Russia’s more than 1.1 million.
The UK is estimated to be spending 2.4% of its national income on defence, while Vladimir Putin is pouring more than 7% into the Kremlin’s war machine.
Several European nations, including most recently Germany and France, have moved to bring back conscription to help solve their manpower woes and many defence commentators have urged the UK to consider following suit.
Others contend that whilst this must be on ministers’ radar, it should only be implemented when every other option has been explored.
Ex-Army intelligence officer Philip Ingram stated the Armed Forces are in “one of the most shocking conditions” he has witnessed over the past 40 years, but urged restraint regarding national service.
He explained: “Conscription is the worst thing possible for a professional military because it turns the professional military from focusing on training for modern operations to becoming a sausage machine for people going through a conscription process.
“So, unless you grow the military enormously to create this separate training organisation that turns into a massive sausage machine, then you’re just going to impact the small number of troops that are trying to get a huge number of very complex tasks done around the world and prepare for an even larger number of even more complex tasks.
“The first thing the government should be doing is everything it possibly can to bolster our regular forces.”
He continued: “It should be a last resort, but it should be a last resort we plan for now and we educate people about now, but don’t implement it until it’s needed.”
This sentiment was shared by former Army officer and Liberal Democrat MP Mike Martin. The Defence Select Committee member declared that bolstering the active military, including an Army exceeding 100,000 personnel, must take precedence but cautioned: “Obviously if we get in a shooting war with Russia, then we’re going to have conscription. There’s no doubt about that.”
From the conclusion of compulsory National Service in 1960 through to 2025, Britain’s regular forces have plummeted dramatically by 74%.
The Army, which presently maintains 78,500 full-time personnel including Gurkhas, has declined by approximately 184,000 (71%) during this timeframe.
In a scathing evaluation of Britain’s defence capabilities, Mr Martin continued: “We’re in a very dangerous situation where if you don’t have military power, you don’t have a voice, your interests are not protected and if you don’t have military power, you can’t have any values.
“That’s where we are, and that’s what we need to do. We need to rapidly rebuild the UK’s military capability.”
Former Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Crawford stated that the possibility of conscription “shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand”.
“The British Army is the smallest it has been since Waterloo and if we entered a major conventional war against Russia then we don’t have enough troops,” he explained.
He added: “The Army traditionally prefers to work on the principle that ‘one volunteer is worth 10 pressed men’. But numbers matter and if we can’t recruit sufficient volunteers then conscription may be necessary.
“How it is applied is another debate altogether, but younger single men and women would seem to be the obvious target demographic.”
Former Conservative defence minister Tobias Ellwood, an ex-soldier and previous Defence Select Committee chair, remarked: “After what’s happened so far this year, it’s difficult to think what might wake us up to how dangerous our world’s becoming other than a direct attack.
“We are still not having a serious conversation about preparations required for a very destabilising decade. NATO could easily fracture and America pull out of the UN.
“National service must now be a serious option to improve our resilience.”
The UK and Europe have historically depended on American backing, but remarks from the Trump administration have cast this into uncertainty.
The President’s recent threats to seize Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory belonging to NATO partner Denmark, have only heightened these concerns.
Britain’s armed forces face a well-documented recruitment and retention crisis, but alarmingly it seems many Gen Zers are hesitant to fight for their nation – even if compelled to do so.
A recent survey revealed that roughly four in ten (41%) of 18 to 27 year olds declared they would refuse to fight for Britain under any circumstances.
Merely 11% stated they would serve if conscripted, whilst 37% indicated they would only if they supported the cause for conflict. Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard has stated that he doesn’t foresee conscription in the near future, but queries will likely persist unless substantial investment is made in defence.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence commented: “The UK defence budget is rising to record levels as this government delivers the biggest boost to defence spending since the Cold War, totalling £270bn this parliament alone.
“This government has no plans to introduce conscription in the UK and believes the best way of defending our country is by maintaining professional Armed Forces who choose to serve.
“We are reversing the long-term decline in the size of the Army, will increase defence spending to 2.5% by 2027 and are providing better training, smarter use of existing capabilities and harnessing technological advancements so our armed forces operate precisely, at scale and at speed.”
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