The head of the British Army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, has called for the UK to prepare a 'citizen army' to bolster the nation's defences amid growing threats from Russia. Speaking at a recent defence conference, he warned that the current size of the British Army is insufficient and that the country must be ready to train and equip a large volunteer force in the event of a major conflict.
General Sanders emphasised that while he is not advocating for a return to conscription, which ended in the UK in 1960, the army needs to be able to expand rapidly. He stated that the regular army should be designed to enable 'the first echelon, resource the second echelon, and train and equip the citizen army that must follow.' He cited Ukraine as an example, noting that 'regular armies start wars; citizen armies win them.'
The call comes amid a series of warnings from senior military and political figures across Europe. UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps recently declared that the country is moving from a 'post war to a pre-war world,' while NATO Military Committee Chair Admiral Rob Bauer urged the public to change their mindset for an era 'when anything can happen at any time.' Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius also warned that Russia could attack a NATO country within five to eight years.
General Sanders highlighted that the British Army has shrunk from over 100,000 personnel in 2010 to around 73,000 today. He argued that within the next three years, the army needs to be 120,000 strong with reserves, but even that may not be enough. The concept of a 'citizen army' would involve training civilians to support the regular forces, similar to the 'total defence' models used in Nordic countries like Sweden and Finland.
Finland, which shares an 800-mile border with Russia, has a conscription system that allows it to muster a large reserve force. Its active armed forces number only 19,000, but it can call on 238,000 reserves. Sweden and Norway also have partial conscription. General Sanders specifically referenced Sweden, where the civil defence minister recently warned that 'there could be a war in Sweden' and urged citizens to join voluntary defence organisations.
While there are no current UK government plans to reintroduce National Service, General Sanders' remarks have sparked debate about the nation's preparedness. The warnings from military leaders suggest that the UK and its allies must take the threat from Russia seriously and consider how to mobilise society for potential conflict.
