The head of the British army believes the UK should ready a “citizen army” as the threat of conflict with Russia grows. Government proposals will see the size of the regular army fall from in 82,000 in 2021 to 73,000 by 2025, but in his speech at the annual International Armoured Vehicles conference, General Sir Patrick Sanders insisted numbers must be urgently raised to around 120,000 within three years. Though “this is not enough,” he warned, urging that the training and equipping of a “citizen army” must follow. Sir Patrick is not alone; many military figures believe a change of recruitment tactics is required.

Britain’s former top NATO commander, General Sir Richard Sherriff, said in a Sky News interview that it could be time to “think the unthinkable” and “look carefully at conscription”. Other branches of the UK’s fighting forces are suffering too, with serious mechanical issues continuing to plague the navy’s important vessels. The cross-party House of Commons defence committee has reported that the military is “consistently overstretched” with the “unrelenting pressure” on personnel exacerbating the crisis in recruitment and retention. The committee said the UK’s military has been “hollowed out”, leaving Britain unprepared for war at a time of worsening global instability. While Downing Street has rejected the idea of a return to conscription, defence secretary Grant Shapps has refused to say when a Tory pledge to raise defence spending from around 2% to 2.5% of GDP will be met. But in a speech at London’s Lancaster House, Shapps said we are “moving from a post-war to pre-war world”, and that “if we are to defend our homeland, we must ensure that our entire defence ecosystem is ready.” Grim forecasts, but it appears that all is not lost. Despite coming under fire when in office in 2021 for refusing to guarantee that troop numbers would not be cut, former prime minister Boris Johnson reckons he’s ready to answer the call. In his Daily Mail column, he backed Sir Patrick’s idea, writing, “No sooner had I posed myself the question – would I sign up to fight for King and country? – than I had the answer. Of course I jolly well would.”