British Army may ‘target one group of Brits’ for conscription if WW3 breaks out

As tensions continue to rise around the world, one security expert and historian has said that some bits will prove to be vital for conscription should a full-blown World War 3 begin at some point

An expert has warned that one particular group of Brits could be targeted if national service was brought back. It comes as tensions around the world continue to rise, raising fears of an all-out World War 3.

With the Ukraine war raging on, Iran’s regime on the edge of collapse, China eyeing up Taiwan, and Donald Trump making noises about Greenland, fears of a potential third world war have hit boiling point. Whilst countries neighbouring Russia like Finland and Estonia have been readying their populations for possible warfare for years, Western European nations are only just beginning to follow suit.

Britain finds itself amongst those trailing behind, with critics claiming the country’s military strength is at its most vulnerable in more than 70 years. As a result, the Army is looking to bolster its numbers and try to entice new recruits to join in case of an armed conflict.

National service — compulsory enlistment into the armed forces — could therefore become a key option for the Government should warfare erupt, according to the Mirror. Historian and author David Swift suggested that any conscription scheme would chiefly target one specific group of Brits which help to bring in thousands of new soldiers to the force.

Jobless graduates would apparently be the most likely target for conscription, whilst workers in two specific sectors would probably be granted exemptions from duty. 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, and that military conscription would target unemployed graduates. This would be very popular with lots of people and especially the Blue Labour thinkers behind Starmer.”

Mr Swift isn’t the only one voicing worries about possible UK conscription. Former Army major and military historian Robert Lyman told the Express he reckons Britain’s armed forces are at their most vulnerable point since the Napoleonic era.

Mr Lyman declared: “Our armed forces have never been so denuded of power since the Napoleonic wars. 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.”

Throughout the last 126 years, the UK has brought in conscription on just two occasions — initially from 1916 to 1920, then once more between 1939 and 1960. These were surrounding both previous World Wars before leading into the Cold War at the height of tensions between the then-Soviet Union and the West.

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