Young people will step up and do what's needed in event of war, says First Sea Lord

The head of the Royal Navy has praised the commitment of young men and women joining the Armed Forces today and dismissed reports that young people would be unwilling to fight in the event of a war.

The reluctance of young people to join the military or take up arms for their country has long been a point of contention, with a recent British Social Attitudes survey revealing that less than a quarter of under-35s believe that a willingness to serve in the military at a time of need is important. 

Speaking to BFBS Forces News on Remembrance Sunday, First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins said: "I fundamentally have faith in the British population to do what is needed when it's required."

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Using the Covid-19 pandemic as an example, Gen Sir Gwyn said the "population responds when it needs to". 

"That collective sense of the need to protect is strong in the population," he insisted, adding: "It's as strong as it ever was. 

Gen Sir Gwyn said he didn't believe polls such as the British Social Attitudes Survey, conducted by the National Centre for Social Research, which surveyed 4,656 Britons and found only 22% of 16-34-year-olds, spanning Gen Z and young millennials, considered a willingness to serve in the military important, compared with 45% of over-55s. 

It follows a previous poll earlier this year by the John Smith Centre at the University of Glasgow, which surveyed 2,000 people aged 16 to 29, half of whom said there are no circumstances in which they would fight for the UK.

Gen Sir Gwyn also praised the youngest recruits to the military, saying: "When I talk to the young men and women who are joining the armed forces today, in whichever service, I'm struck by their commitment to what it is that we might need to do. 

"We are recruiting more people than ever in my career, and the reason we're doing it is that people want to make a difference, and we offer them the opportunity to make a difference.

"I meet the young men and women joining our armed forces, the sailors, the marines, the soldiers, and the air force – and they are every bit as good as we ever were.

"In fact, they're better than we ever were; they're professionally driven and focused on what they need to do."