PM Sunak Announces Mandatory National Service Plan for 18-Year-Olds in UK
By Boniface Ihiasota, USA
Eighteen-year-olds in the United Kingdom will be required to undertake mandatory national service if the Conservative Party secures victory in the upcoming July 4 general election, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced.
Sunak stated that the initiative aims to address the lack of opportunities for the nation’s youth and foster societal unity in an “increasingly uncertain world.”
The plan would offer young people the choice between a 12-month full-time placement in the armed forces or a year-long community service commitment, with one weekend of volunteering per month.
Excel Magazine International learnt the proposed program is designed to offer valuable skills and experiences, with placements in the armed forces focusing on logistics, cybersecurity, procurement, and civil response operations.
Alternatively, the community service option would involve working with local fire and police services, the National Health Service (NHS), and charities aiding elderly and isolated individuals. The estimated annual cost of the program is £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion), according to BBC reports.
A royal commission, comprising military and civil society experts, will be established to design the national service framework. Applications for the first pilot program are set to open in September 2025, with the aim to pass a “National Service Act” making the scheme compulsory by the end of the next parliamentary term. The Conservatives have emphasized that the scheme does not constitute conscription.
The announcement comes as the Conservative Party intensifies its campaign efforts, criticizing the opposition Labour Party.
Prime Minister Sunak argued that the national service program would offer “life-changing opportunities” for young people, allowing them to gain real-world skills and contribute to their communities and the country.
In contrast, the Labour Party has dismissed the proposal as a “desperate unfunded commitment,” drawing parallels to the National Citizen Service introduced by former Prime Minister David Cameron. A Labour spokesperson criticized the Conservatives for reducing the size of the armed forces and argued that the proposal is not a concrete plan but merely a costly review.
“Britain has had enough of the Conservatives, who are bankrupt of ideas and have no plans to end 14 years of chaos. It’s time to turn the page and rebuild Britain with Labour,” the spokesperson said.
The UK previously had national service between 1947 and 1960, requiring men aged 17 to 21 to serve 18 months in the armed forces. Since then, the British Army has significantly reduced in size, from 100,000 personnel in 2010 to nearly 73,000 as of January 2024, according to the BBC.
Several European countries, including Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, currently maintain forms of conscription for their armed forces, providing a potential model for the UK’s proposed scheme.
