Britain will establish a conscription age for women if World War II begins, as Putin’s ally identifies Europe’s targets.

As global tensions continue to rise, experts have urged that Britain needs more troops to prepare for potential war. Here, we examine the regulations that would apply to women should recruitment become mandatory.

With growing warning signs that Vladimir Putin is preparing for a major conflict in Europe, Britons have been urged to “be prepared for a war on the scale of what our grandparents or great-grandparents endured.” But what might this actually look like in the UK?

While Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted last year that “no one is talking about conscription” in the UK, experts fear troop numbers are not sufficient if we go to war now. Anthony Professor Glees, a European affairs expert at the University of Buckingham, told us, “One of the most important and cheapest ways we have to counter and address these myriad real threats to our way of life is through some form of conscription into our armed forces. Increasing the size of the forces has been completely ignored.”

According to the recently published National Security Strategy report, confronting the threat of nuclear weapons will be “more complex than the Cold War”—a prospect that will undoubtedly send a shiver down the spines of those living through these uncertain times. Describing the country as being in a period of “radical uncertainty,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised to spend five percent of GDP on national security within a decade to “bring together civilian and military priorities in a way not seen since 1945.”

If the UK had conscription, most people would be encouraged to serve, but some jobs would be exempt. Britain has never called up women to serve in direct combat – but recent polling suggests the public thinks this should change if World War III breaks out. A YouGov poll earlier this year found that 72 per cent supported men being recruited as well as women if the measure were reintroduced.

read more. WW3 warning – the five groups most likely to be called up if Britain brings back conscription

Nowadays women can apply for all roles in the army – but if conscription were to take place, many more women could be drafted into the army (Image: Getty Images). )

During the Second World War, when Britain went to war with Nazi Germany in 1939, all men aged 18 to 41 had to register for National Service (Armed Forces) to increase numbers. This was followed by the passage of the Second National Service Act in 1941, which called for the inclusion of single women and widows aged 20–30— those who did not have children.

By mid-1943, approximately 90% of single women and 80% of married women were performing work essential to the war effort, according to the BBC. However, men working in essential industries such as farming, medicine, baking and engineering, as well as those deemed medically unfit, were exempt. As the war progressed, people as young as 51 were also recruited, while those aged 52–60 also had to play a role in civil defence, so no one could shirk responsibilities.

Before the conflict began, many women were part of the Women’s Land Forces or Civil Defence, including air raid countermeasures and the Women’s Voluntary Services. But after the war, conscription ended, with Britain’s armed forces now composed only of professional volunteers.

A system of national service continued until May 1963, when the last soldier was discharged. However, after all limits were removed in 2018, women can now qualify for all roles in the armed forces, including the Royal Marines and the Royal Marines.

In modern Britain, the government is reportedly looking for new and inventive ways to encourage young people to train as soldiers through a new scheme. Open for recruitment in March 2026, under-25s are said to be able to access a new ‘gap year’ military programme to boost recruitment and help young people build life skills amid the backdrop of Russian threats. As reported by iPaper, the scheme, which is based on a similar initiative in Australia, will start with a small group of 150, with the hope of eventually growing to more than 1,000 each year.

The reported gap year scheme will undoubtedly prove a welcome development for many experts, including Professor Anthony Gleiss, who spoke to The Mirror about the possibility of national recruitment following the publication of the National Security Strategy report last June.

While the report highlighted that the threat of nuclear weapons would be “more complex than the Cold War,” there was no reference to national conscription in it, a factor Professor Gleizes found both “revealing and disappointing.”

Professor Gleizes told us, “One of the most important and cheapest ways we have of countering and addressing these myriad real threats to our way of life is to increase the size of our armed forces through some form of recruitment, which has been completely ignored.”

For decades, national service has been a subject of heated debate; however, successive governments have repeatedly ruled out military conscription. It is primarily based on the idea that the best personnel in the armed forces are those who have voluntarily offered themselves to defend their country. But with the changing global security landscape, there are some who believe that national service is now “absolutely vital.”

Professor Gleese explained, “A well-trained, resourceful UK land force of young and enthusiastic Britons will stop Putin where nuclear weapons fear to tread, because as his attack on Ukraine shows, our nuclear weapons do not stop him any more than his nuclear weapons stop Ukraine.”

One of Vladimir Putin’s propagandists issued a chilling threat to Europe in December, listing potential targets as capital cities. TV host Vladimir Solovyov reiterated his threat to the West, citing Berlin, Paris, and Vienna as potential targets in the event of a Russian attack.

The leading Kremlin propagandist also told viewers on his nightly show that “a nuclear attack on Britain is inevitable”. The threat has reignited fears of a broader conflict that could impact the world.