Military experts have warned which UK group would be first called up if Britain introduces conscription during a major conflict or WW3 scenario
Experts have revealed who they think would be summoned first if the UK government rolled out conscription due to a major international conflict.
Escalating dangers from Russia and China, combined with NATO’s Article 5 provision have placed Britain on heightened readiness for large-scale warfare. Explaining how an emergency call-up would genuinely operate in reality, a leading military figure cautioned that particular demographics would be dispatched to the battlefront initially.
Speaking to the Express Retired senior British Army officer Lord Dannatt said: “I would expect to see the Army Reserve mobilised first, then Regular Reservists recalled to active service and then His Majesty’s Government would need to consider conscription, starting with 18-24-year-olds.”
Meanwhile, emeritus professor at the University of Buckingham, Anthony Glees, said full conscription would likely follow the model used during WW2. Glees said: “This would mean that all males from 18-41 would have to do military or national service.”
“This was decided in September 1939 when the UK declared war on Germany but before serious fighting had started, the so-called ‘Phoney War’ period). Previously, prior to the declaration of war in May 1939, all males aged 20-22 were required to do national service. In 1941, the age range was extended by ten years, so 18-51 and unmarried women were also required to do some kind of national service.”
The professor believes the time has come for the Government to begin floating the concept of compulsory national service — and the answer may lie with Ukraine.
He added: “We need a nation that is fighting fit and ready to fight but that doesn’t necessarily mean ‘with guns and bombs and bullets’, it could mean using laptops and smartphones to push Russia back into its box,” the Express reports.
“We all agree we are already in a ‘grey-war’ situation in respect of Russia and that puts us in the ‘Phoney War’ context, in my opinion. Nothing would terrify that little coward in the Kremlin more than to see that the UK were taking the first measures to prepare for any tricks he may well have up his sleeve, especially now when Trump seems determined to let him have a win in Ukraine.
“We need to learn from that amazing country. When it was attacked, it introduced conscription for all males in the 25-60 year old category. Ukraine, with a population just a little more than half the UK’s population, has armed forces of 900,000 men with a further four million in the reserve.
“That’s how you give Putin the bloody body blows we’ve seen having to take since 2022. If we do not want to fight Russia, and no sane person does, the only way of deterring him is by getting ready to fight him.”
Nevertheless, the expert emphasised that not every conscript would be deployed on the front line, with many who “could do useful defence work from their laptops. He said: “We’re told by IPSOS that just 11% of 18-27 year olds say they are prepared to fight for their country.
“But that’s not bad, it’s 154,000 brave young men. They would more than double the size of our army. I believe it would be right to encourage all 18-19 year olds to see national service as a worthwhile measure to keep us safe and above all deter evil Putin. I would offer all those who volunteered inducements, such as release from student loan debts, assistance with study costs, even preferential housing.
“In WW2, soldiers were offered the prospect of ‘homes for heroes’ and a National Health Service. It was well worth fighting for these benefits. We need to do the same now.
“In December 2025, Starmer’s Government agreed to increase the number of young people going into our armed forces, aware of the fact that the UK has more traffic enforcement officers (82,000) than soldiers (74,000, although our armed forces in total consist of 136,000 personnel. However, that measure was pathetic, dismissed as ‘baby steps’.”
The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) reckons that reservists and ex-armed forces personnel would be top of the list for any recall. Yet it highlights there’s a genuine challenge in tracing and reaching former military individuals, plus numerous other complications surrounding large-scale mobilisation.
A research document revealed: “With Russian military expansion and modernisation, and a growing rift between the US and European members of NATO, the risk of protracted conflict in Europe has grown. To deter such a conflict, or deal with the risk if deterrence fails, the UK’s armed forces must be ready to mobilise and expand.”
It continued: “Policymakers and the public should be disabused of the idea that the UK’s armed forces do not need to field a large force to match a potential enemy or adversary, nor that the UK can get away with leaving detailed planning until the event itself. The latest UK government’s Strategic Defence Review has already implied greater mobilisation through its framing of the Russian threat, its commitment to the British Army providing a Corps to NATO, and the need to make use of the Strategic Reserve.
“This will not be easy given the current lack of preparedness for mobilising. Moreover, alliance cohesion requires burden-sharing, with all members sharing the costs equitably, which suggests that Britain must be better prepared to contribute mass. Preparing for this involves mobilising, training and equipping enough people, and that has implications for industry, which must also prepare for mobilisation.”
So far the Government has dismissed both conscription and compulsory military service. In September, Defence Minister Lord Coaker stated: “Since 1963, it has been the policy of successive Governments that the best way of providing for the defence of our country is by maintaining professional Armed Forces which are manned by volunteers.”
Rather than pursuing mandatory service, the Government is channelling its efforts into voluntary programmes designed to offer younger generations a taste of military life without committing to the regular Armed Forces.
Lord Coaker went on to say: “Through this combination of military experience, engagement, education, skills development and voluntary service opportunities, defence is already helping more young people understand the role of the Armed Forces, experience Service life, develop valuable skills, and explore opportunities to contribute to national security and public service.”