As the UK prepares to launch a ‘gap year soldiers’ scheme for those under the age of 25, amid further tensions with Russia, the Mirror takes a look at what National Service might look like in the 21st century
As reports emerge of ‘gap year soldiers’ being trained up to fight in war zones, The Mirror takes a look at what conscription in the UK might actually look like in 2026, with some intriguing predictions from an expert.
Open for recruitment in March 2026, under-25s will reportedly be able to access a new gap year military programme, in a bid to boost army recruitment and help young people build life skills amid the backdrop of Russian threats. The scheme, which is modelled on a similar initiative in Australia, will kick off with a small cohort of 150, with hopes that it will eventually reach more than 1,000 each year.
Young civilians will be introduced to life in the military, or else equipped with transferable skills should they decide not to enlist. It’s understood that there is no commitment to join full-time; however, those who choose to stay with the Armed Forces can receive additional training for deployment on operations.
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This comes as Russia has this week rejected a peace deal in Ukraine, while branding British soldiers “legitimate military targets” in a disquieting new threat amid fears of a “significant air strike” on Kyiv. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have signed a new plan to establish military ‘hubs’ in Ukraine in the event of a deal to protect the country from further invasion, a move which hasn’t gone down well with the Kremlin.
In a chilling statement, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Britain and British allies of planning to “continue the militarisation of Ukraine”, asserting: “The Russian Foreign Ministry warns that the deployment of military units and the setting-up of military facilities, storages and other Western infrastructure on Ukrainian territory will be qualified as foreign intervention that directly threatens the security of Russia and other European countries.”
The upcoming gap year scheme, first reported in the iPaper, will no doubt prove to be a welcome development for many experts, including Professor Anthony Glees, an expert on European affairs from The University of Buckingham, who spoke with The Mirror about the possibility of national conscription, following the publication of the National Security Strategy report last June.
While this report highlighted that the danger of nuclear weapons would be “more complex than it was even in the Cold War”, there was no reference to national conscription in the report, a factor Professor Glees found to be both “revealing and depressing”. Professor Glees told us: “One of the most important and cheapest ways we have of countering and addressing these myriad real threats to our way of life, increasing the size of our armed forces through some form of conscription, is totally ignored.”
For decades, National Service has been a topic of heated debate; however, successive governments have repeatedly ruled out the possibility of military conscription. This is primarily based on the idea that armed forces are best staffed by those who have voluntarily put themselves forward to defend their country. But with a shifting global security landscape, there are those who believe National Service is now “absolutely vital”.
Professor Glees explained: “A well-trained, resourceful UK land army of young and spirited Brits will deter Putin where nukes fear to tread, because as his attack on Ukraine shows, our nukes do not deter him, any more than his nukes deter Ukraine.” The academic also offered his thoughts on what National Service might actually look like in Britain, including what incentives could be introduced to make this a tempting prospect for young people in the 21st century…
Cyber training
Professor Glees reflected: “I favour conscription for national service for everyone capable of it. Not everyone should undergo military training, as in weapons training; cyber skills, for example, for offensive and defensive purposes, are a form of weapons training. But those who are up for proper military training should be given it. The EU, the UK and Norway have a population of 523m, more than times as large as Russia with 144m. Our joint GDP is $24tr compared with Russia’s $2tr.”
Discussing this upcoming scheme, Defence Secretary John Healey asserted that a “new era for defence” meant “opening up new opportunities for young people to experience and learn from our Armed Forces.” He stated: “This gap year scheme will give Britain’s young people a taste of the incredible skills and training on offer across the Army, Royal Navy and RAF. It’s part of our determination to reconnect society with our forces, and drive a whole of society approach to our nation’s defence.
“As families come together at this time of year, and young people think about their futures, I want the outstanding opportunities on offer in our Armed Forces to be part of that conversation in homes across the UK.”
Incentives
Against the backdrop of the cost-of-living crisis, under-25s may be incentivised by opportunities that could help them make that all-important first step in life. Professor Glees noted: “We can afford to offer our young people fabulous inducements to commit to a year’s national service, for example, cheap loans for mortgages, free university and college places.
“In the National Security Strategy, the Prime Minister says we need to ‘unleash a defence dividend, to use national security to strengthen our country’. Exactly so. That dividend is not simply AI and IT; it is our young people who need to understand that their future liberty relies on their willingness to serve. That is where conscription comes in.”
Those close to the 2026 scheme have said they hope the initiative would “grow over time”, with regular assessments addressing the impact on recruitment and operational design. This project has been described as an “attractive employment scheme for school and college leavers, and young adults who are undecided on a future career direction”, targeted at individuals interested in learning a trade to upskill or gaining all-important life experience for a career outside the army. However, it has not yet been stipulated how much these young recruits would get paid.
‘Strong land army’ over nukes
While the subject of nuclear warfare is on everyone’s lips, Professor Glees is of the belief that any future European War “will be fought with conventional means, not nukes”, which he emphasises “are last resort weapons”. This would mean “a strong land army” could be significantly more important than a powerful nuclear arsenal.
According to Professor Glees: “Putin knows that if we were to use them to prevent him from taking over our country, we could destroy Russia in the bat of an eyelid. But he also knows that we would be committing suicide in doing so. That is why conventional strength is real strength.
“A future war in Europe (just like the current war in Ukraine or the war between Israel and Iran) will be fought with conventional means, not nukes. Nukes are last resort weapons, but leave plenty of space for conventional forces to go past them, like the Maginot Line, which was meant to defend France from the Germans, but they simply went over the top of it.
“Until recently, we’ve put just about all our defence eggs in our Vanguard-class Trident-carrying submarines. In fact, we need a strong land army to keep our shores safe, not least from the very things the Review outlines, which include the key demand that we properly protect our borders, which we are not doing at the moment.”
It’s understood that this new Army scheme would last for two full years, kicking off with a 13-week basic training course. Recruits will then be expected to specialise in a particular area. The Navy scheme will offer a year-long “profession agnostic employment scheme” for sailors, with recruits given basic training to work on board ships, plus broad expertise for a variety of potential Naval careers. While the RAF remains less developed in its plans, insiders say it is still “scoping” options for its own gap year scheme.
Conscription throughout the centuries
Brits first underwent conscription during the conflict we now know as World War I. Before this point, this sort of compulsion hadn’t been applied to regular army recruitment since the early 18th century, back when vagrants and those in debt were briefly affected by an early form of conscription, as per the Official Public Record.
However, the seismic global events of the 20th century would change everything. Passed in January 1916, the Military Service Act 1916 imposed conscription on all single men aged between 18 and 41, unless they were exempt. This was extended to 50 in April 1918. Two years later, in 1920, conscription was abolished, but it was not to last. Those who celebrated their 18th birthday in 1945 will now be 98 years old. Those still living may well remember leaving home behind to fight the Nazis, or waving goodbye to much-loved friends, family members and neighbours.
On September 3, 1939, the same day Britain declared war on Germany, Parliament passed the National Service (Armed Forces) Act, which required all men between the ages of 18 and 41 to register for service. Exemptions were granted to those deemed medically unfit, as well as to individuals working in key sectors such as farming, engineering, and medicine. Any conscientious objectors were forced to argue their case before a tribunal.
Conscription for women
A second National Service Act was passed in December 1941, this time making all unmarried women and childless widows between the ages of 20 and 30 liable to be called up, following a secret report by economist Sir William Beveridge, which showed that mandatory military service for women couldn’t be avoided.
By mid-1943, nearly 90 per cent of single women and 80 per cent of married women were involved in essential work towards the war effort, the BBC reports. Meanwhile, under this new act, men under the age of 60 were required to participate in some form of National Service. This included military service for men under the age of 51.
Many women joined the Women’s Land Army or civil defence, including those involved in Air Raid Precautions and the Women’s Voluntary Services. While traditional ‘women’s roles’ meant many worked in the home, during the war this changed, with many filling in jobs left behind by men away fighting on the battlefield.
Mandatory enlistment ended after the war, with Britain’s armed forces comprised solely of professional volunteers. Even after the war ended in 1945, National Service continued in the UK until the 1960s, addressing manpower shortages, with the last servicemen being discharged in 1963.
Nowadays, women qualify for all roles in the armed forces. This includes both combat and the Royal Marines, following the lifting of all limits in 2018.
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