UK may introduce year-long compulsory military service for 18-year-olds

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the compulsory National Service for all 18-year-olds would be introduced if the Conservatives win the General Election.

The bombshell plan was unveiled by the prime minister in an article for The Mail on May 26, as reported by Caliber.Az.

Under the service plan, school-leavers would be obliged to spend a year in a full-time Armed Forces role or volunteering with organisations such as the police or NHS.

The shock move, which is modelled on systems already in place across Europe, is likely to split opinion – but will also galvanise the first full week of the election campaign.

Sunak said the 'reinvented' scheme would 'provide life-changing opportunities for our young people', and declared: 'As a father, I look forward to my own two daughters doing their National Service: I think they will find it a rewarding experience.'

He added: 'Being British is about more than just the queue you join at passport control.'

The idea of forcing school-leavers into the scheme is likely to prove the most contentious element – although No 10 points out that only 10 per cent of 18-year-olds are expected to take up the option of a full military commission for the 12-month period, with the rest working for just one weekend a month.

If the Conservatives are re-elected, a Royal Commission would be established to finalise the details and the scheme would come into effect in September next year.

The plan to reintroduce National Service was drawn up in secret, with only Mr Sunak's close advisers – understood to include former Tory leader William Hague – privy to the details.

In their confidential 40-page plan, the advisers argued that the growing international threats posed by countries such as Russia and China needed to be addressed by beefing up our Armed Forces – as did the listlessness of many young adults. Nearly 750,000 18 to 24-year-olds are currently out of work, and this age group is disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system.

The civic roles would include supporting flood defences and communities during natural disasters, NHS support roles, fire safety work, or signing up for the RNLI or mountain search and rescue.

He adds: 'We must do more for our young people and our young people must do more for our country. After all, our country is only as strong as what we all contribute to it. This new National Service will give the coming generation an opportunity to learn valuable life skills while contributing to our country.

'For some, it will open their eyes to potential careers. For others, it will forge a culture of service that will make our society stronger and more cohesive.'

National Service was first introduced after the Second World War for all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 21.

More than two million were conscripted into the Armed Forces between 1949 and 1963.