Conscription and national service in the UK

There is no conscription or requirement for military service in the United Kingdom; the British armed forces are a professional volunteer force.

What is conscription?

Conscription can be defined as the mandatory enlistment of people in their national armed forces.

Conscription has only operated for two periods in the 20th century, between 1916 and 1920, and 1939 and 1960, respectively (the last serviceman was discharged in May 1963). National service continued after the Second World War with a requirement for eligible men to serve for up to two years in the UK and around the world.

Successive governments have, since the 1960s, ruled out reintroducing national service for the armed forces, arguing that a highly trained, professional armed forces staffed by volunteers is the best way to provide for the defence of the United Kingdom. The current government has said it has no plans to introduce conscription to the armed forces.

However, the covid-19 pandemic and the changing security situation in Europe in the last decade has prompted discussions about the need to improve civilian resilience in the face of emergencies up to and including a state of war. Many European countries have long had some form of compulsory national service in the armed forces, and several have begun reintroducing mandatory military service to better prepare their populations for defence.

The government is currently preparing a new national security strategy and a new strategic defence review which are likely to discuss ways to improve national resilience. These are expected to be published by the end of spring 2025.

The purpose of this briefing is to look at historical national service and conscription in the context of current discussions about the defence of the UK. It does not discuss civilian forms of national service or conscientious objection.

Conscription and the First World War

Conscription was introduced in Britain during the First World War in January 1916. The Military Service Act 1916 imposed conscription on all single men aged between 18 and 41 who were not eligible for exemption. The act was modified by subsequent legislation throughout the First World War until conscription was abolished in 1920.

Conscription and the Second World War

Compulsory military service was then reintroduced in May 1939, prior to the Second World War, and was imposed on all single men aged between 20 and 21 in the National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939.

Those medically unfit were exempted, as were others in key industries and jobs such as baking, farming, medicine, and engineering.

The male age limit for military service was raised throughout the Second World War, and in 1941 Parliament passed a second National Service Act which extended the male age limit for military service to 51 and made provision for the conscription of women.

Post-war peacetime conscription

Despite mass demobilisation at the end of the Second World War, the government determined that there was still an urgent need to maintain high levels of military manpower in the parts of the world where Britain had a strong presence, including Palestine, Suez and India. The government concluded that meeting these requirements could only be met effectively by continuing national service in peacetime.

With Britain no longer at war, the decision was not popular. Parliament debated the issue in 1947 and peacetime National Service was introduced, and governed, under the National Service Act 1948.

The scheme came into force in January 1949 and required all physically fit males between 18 and 30 to serve in the armed forces for a period of 18 months. Upon leaving they retained a reserve liability for a further four years. National service could be deferred in certain circumstances, such as completing apprenticeship training or university studies. Unlike the latter years of the Second World war, peacetime national service did not apply to women. In 1950 the Act was amended to extend the period of service to two years.

The decision to end National Service

The call-up for National Service in the UK ended in December 1960, although periods of service still had to be completed and therefore the last serviceman was discharged in May 1963.

Conscription in Europe

Many countries in Europe either had, or have, a form of compulsory military service for some young people for a set time period. After the end of the Cold War in 1991 many countries suspended or ended mandatory military service.

However, the changing security situation in Europe in the last decade and the perceived threat from Russia has prompted some countries to either reintroduce conscription or state they are seriously examining requiring some form of mandatory military service for men.

In northern Europe, Lithuania, Sweden and Latvia reintroduced mandatory military service in 2015, 2018 and 2024 respectively.

Croatia has reintroduced a limited obligation in 2025, and the Polish Prime Minister has said his government is developing plans to prepare large-scale military training for every adult male.

Footnotes