Who do you think should be called up first in the event of a war?
General Sir Roly Walker said that ‘every’ citizen will be ‘asked to make sacrifices.’ (Image: Getty)
The UK’s political leaders will soon have a “frank conversation” with citizens about the sacrifices that will be needed in the event of war, according to the head of the British Army. General Sir Roly Walker, who has served as Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army since June 2024, has warned that the public must be prepared to make sacrifices to strengthen national defence.
Speaking to around 700 soldiers at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, Sir Roly said the UK was entering a period of heightened international danger and suggested the armed forces could soon be needed to defend the nation. His comments come amid increasing concern about Russian aggression, pressure to increase defence spending and calls for the public to take a more active role in national security.
In a speech captured by the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS), he said: “You didn’t know this, but our nation is going to need you. “There was a time that our nation didn’t want to think of a time when it would need its soldiers to fight in a war.
“But as anyone who is studying the trajectory of world affairs and the geopolitical system within which our nation sits and thrives will realise there is extreme jeopardy in the world at the moment, and the business of soldiering is coming back into the nation’s psyche.”
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And as fears over a potential global conflict grow and Britain’s Army chief warning the public may have to make sacrifices to strengthen national defence, questions are being raised over who should be expected to serve if World War Three were to break out. But who do YOU think should be called up first in event of WW3? 18 to 25-year olds? People with military experience? Volunteers of any age? Vote in our poll and express your views in the comment section below.
Sir Roly added: “Indeed, very soon, the political leaders of this country will start to have a frank conversation with the citizens of this country about just what is going on, and where the risk lies, and what the nation must need to be prepared to do. They need to understand what is going on in the world of defence and security, and why now appears to be a very dangerous time.
“They are going to try and explain to our citizens that our citizens have got to consent to sacrifices to prioritise defence and security.
“And then they are going to ask those citizens, for whom we are not necessarily at the front of their mind, that they too need to play a part in the defence and security of this country.
“They need to understand what we do for them. They need to consent to allow us to do that. Which means sacrifices by them. And ultimately we are going to need them to back us, to back you to do the one thing that you do that nobody else gets to do and that is to take the fight to the enemy.”
Britain does not currently operate a system of compulsory military service. Introducing conscription would require significant government and legal decisions.
The UK Army chief has warned Brits they will have to make ‘sacrifices.’ (Image: Getty)
A Government spokesperson told The Independent: “The General’s comments show that as the threats we face become more complex and move closer to home, our alliances and national security have never been more important.
“That is why we are delivering the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War and transforming our Armed Forces to warfighting readiness.
“Our response must go beyond the Armed Forces alone. Government, industry and the public all have a role to play. Through the Home Defence Programme, we are strengthening the UK’s resilience and preparedness, ensuring the nation is better equipped to respond to the challenges of a more dangerous and uncertain world.”
WW3 conscription to target one UK group as Brits who refuse face humiliating punishment
An expert has explained what a new conscription policy might look like.
An expert has given his thoughts on conscription. (Image: Getty)
One particular group of Brits could be targeted for conscription as others face fines for not complying, an expert has warned. Fears that the UK may need to introduce compulsory military service have surged in recent weeks amid escalating threats from Russia. One of Putin’s closest allies cautioned that he could not “100% exclude” the possibility of “semi-military” action against British installations, after the Armed Forces provided Volodymyr Zelensky’s troops with the blueprints to produce their own Storm Shadow missiles.
A UK security source has acknowledged that Russia is “preparing something”, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham going so far as to suggest a Russian attack is “inevitable”. This follows a direct threat to London issued by Putin’s regime.
If a conflict breaks out, the UK may be forced to introduce conscription to bolster its Armed Forces, particularly after a retired Army major warned the military is in its weakest state for over 70 years.
Conscription is when a government imposes mandatory enlistment of citizens into military service. Over the past 126 years, there have been only two instances of conscription in the UK.
The first ran between 1916 and 1920, and the second spanned from 1939 to 1960. Author and historian David Swift suggested a new conscription policy would likely exclude workers in two particular sectors.
There could be fines for people who don’t comply. (Image: Getty)
Speaking to the Express, he said: “Today, since there is such an urgent need to rebuild Britain’s defence industries and industrial capacity, I would expect that people in these important occupations would be exempt.
“Or even that people could be ‘conscripted’ into working in these industries.”
He also gave an indication of which group could be first to face conscription, adding: “Military conscription would target unemployed graduates – this would be very popular with lots of people.”
Mr Swift detailed the penalties that could be imposed on Brits who fail to comply with a conscription order. he suggested that fines, rather than custodial sentences, would likely be handed to those who refuse to register.
He explained: “I imagine it would be fines rather than imprisonment or anything like that, due to lack of prison capacity, difficulty enforcing and lack of legitimacy, and that ‘conscription’, if introduced, would be very much focused around monetary reward.”
Mr Swift proposed that Britain might mirror Greece’s approach. In Greece, failing to register resulted in a €6,000 (£5213.19) fine, though in 2019 the country contemplated abolishing the penalty altogether.
In 2024, former British Army chief General Sir Patrick Sanders called on the UK to prepare for “national mobilisation” and a “citizen army” in light of the threat posed by Russia.
However, successive UK governments have instead maintained that a highly skilled, professional volunteer armed force remains the most effective means of defending the country.