Sitrep podcast: Can a citizen military appeal to the masses?

The head of the British Army's talk of a citizen army in the UK kicked off a national debate.

The Government did say conscription is off the table, but former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for the return of National Service.

However, can mandatory military service be made appealing to British society?

Well, in 2017, Sweden copied the Norwegian model of making it compulsory to register to serve in the military.

However, around only one in eight get selected in competitive assessments to actually serve.

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Swedish defence expert Elisabeth Braw told the Sitrep podcast the Scandinavian model has filled gaps in their armed forces and proved popular with the public.

"It's essentially turning lemons into lemonade," she said. "The great thing about having selective military service, you turn something that is theoretically mandatory, you turn it into something that is so desirable that people forget that it's mandatory.

"You only need a small percentage. 

"Yes, you can force it if you like, but because it's so selective, it's so prestigious, that virtually anybody you select will be absolutely chuffed to be selected.

"It's quite common in Norway that the parents will try to lobby for their teenagers to be selected."

The podcast was also told by Nicholas Drummond, a former Welsh Guards Officer, that National Service could help fix the British Army's recruitment crisis and help fix skill gaps.

"When you have conscription, you get people joining the Armed Forces who might never otherwise have joined it," he said.

"They bring technical skills and other qualities that you might not ordinarily get from the general recruiting population.

"Remember, the UK is very generational in terms of the people it recruits. 

"We have successive generations of families who join the Armed Forces. That can give us a narrow focus."

He added: "The idea of recruiting from a wider pool is definitely very positive."

:: The award-winning Sitrep podcast brings you discussion and analysis on defence, foreign policy and the stories affecting the Armed Forces, presented by Kate Gerbeau with expert analysis from Professor Michael Clarke.

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