If World War 3 breaks out, there are likely to be ways to legally avoid being called up to fight for the UK on medical grounds.
Escalating tensions and conscription talk
The prospect of international war is no longer a far-off fear, but a reality here and now, after Prime Minister Andy Burnham was warned to expect revenge for strengthening ties with Ukraine.
Andy Burnham has been warned that the country faces an “inevitable” Russian attack on security infrastructure in response to the UK’s unfaltering support for Ukraine. Security chiefs were placed on high alert on Tuesday for a possible Kremlin strike, targeting either the Prime Minister himself or key military sites, after Mr Burnham’s high-profile visit to Kyiv and his decision to strengthen military co-operation with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Talk about conscription has become louder and more serious in recent years as tensions escalate, while rules are set to change with the government increasing the maximum age for calling up "strategic reserves" from 55 to 65.
Historic precedent from World War Two
Ministers have said the UK needs to be prepared for 'war in our homeland', with a greater push to ready society for the outbreak of conflict as well as other national emergencies like pandemics, extreme weather and cyber attacks or infrastructure outages.
We don't know exactly what conscription would look like today but we do have some historic precedent from the last global conflict, World War Two. Conscription was put in place from May 1939 to gear up to fight Nazi Germany's continued expansion across Europe.
Rules put in place from May 1939, though, did allow for medical exemptions from fighting. According to the UK Parliament website, men conscribed were given a medical assessment before being sent to the front lines, and those medically unfit were given a pass and allowed to complete important wartime effort jobs instead.
It said: "Those medically unfit were exempted, as were others in key industries and jobs such as baking, farming, medicine, and engineering."
European models for national service
A report on conscription issued in March 2025 by the UK government explains how it works in other European countries as regards national service today. It says: "Most countries obligate men to serve, offering opportunities for women to volunteer if they wish. Many also offer an alternative civilian option for conscientious objectors. Some use a lottery model, meaning that only a small proportion of eligible men are required to serve."
It adds: "The European Parliament’s research service briefing on mandatory military service says all EU Member States with an active conscription system have recognised the rights of conscientious objectors through national law."
For example, in Finland, males are mandated to serve by law, but non-military service can be given to conscientious objectors. In Greece, it's similar, with the minimum terms: "Less than 12 months military or 15 months civilian service for conscientious objectors."
