Military Matters: Does Your Country Need You? — with Brian Gerrish and Charles Malet

Not since 1963 has the burden of compulsory military service saddled the younger generation. Messaging on the subject, though, has graduated from covert whispers to overt declarations of the necessity to achieve ‘warfighting readiness’. 2025 has seen the publication of the Strategic Defence Review and the National Security Strategy, both predicated on the existential threat posed by so-called ‘Russian aggression’.

The Sunak Administration suggested a form of national service, with financial consequences for non-compliance, and the Labour regime continues to push for 30% of the armed forces to be women by 2030. With the recruitment process itself hived off to the private sector, what will cause the young to respond to the latest call to arms?

Opening Shots, the first in this series, is on the UK Column website. Brian Gerrish served in the Royal Navy during the Cold War, specialising in anti-submarine warfare. Charles Malet was an infantry officer in the British Army during the period of high-tempo operations characterising the start of this century.  

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