THE TORIES will bring back compulsory National Service if they win the election, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today vows.
Every British 18-year-old man or woman will be expected to serve their country for a year under the proposed scheme.
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Teens will be able to choose between two options — a full-time placement in the Armed Forces, or volunteering with charities or civic groups at weekends.
A Royal Commission will be set up to look at how to roll out the scheme.
But The Sun on Sunday understands those who refuse to take part will not face criminal sanctions.
Mr Sunak said: “This is a great country but generations of young people have not had the opportunities or experience they deserve — and there are forces trying to divide our society in this uncertain world.
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“I have a clear plan to address this and secure our future.
“I will bring in a new version of National Service to create a shared sense of purpose among our young people and a renewed sense of pride in our country.”
The PM announced the radical pledge after warning the world is more dangerous now than at any point since the Cold War.
Meanwhile, the Army is at its smallest size since the Napoleonic Wars 200 years ago.
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Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said Britain is in a “pre-war world” and must be prepared for conflicts involving Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.
And Home Secretary James Cleverly said National Service will help bottle the “Blitz Spirit” we saw during the pandemic.
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Writing exclusively in The Sun on Sunday, he said the plan would deliver a triple-whammy boost to Britain — protecting the country, training young people, and forging a new sense of patriotism and civic pride.
He said: “This compulsory National Service will forge shared values, pull us together as a nation and develop critical skills of our younger generations.
“Conservatives know what a great country we are, the best country in the world, in fact, but we need to boost our resilience and secure ourselves against future shocks.
There are forces trying to divide our society in this uncertain world
Rishi Sunak
“We also need to protect British values, of generosity, duty and patriotism, because it is our values that make us great.”
The Sun on Sunday understands teenagers serving under the scheme will not be sent to active war zones.
National Service will build on the sense of civic pride unleashed by The Sun on Sunday’s Jabs Army campaign to roll out the Covid vaccine, Mr Cleverly added.
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He said: “I hope we never have to confront another global pandemic, but without question the wider security challenges we face are growing.”
The radical manifesto pledge is the most eye-catching announcement of the election so far.
There have been growing calls for a return to National Service in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The head of the Army said Britain should train a “citizen army” to be ready to fight on land.
Speaking earlier this year, Gen Sir Patrick Sanders, said: “Ukraine brutally illustrates that regular armies start wars; citizen armies win them.”
Our Armed Forces have seen personnel numbers shrink by a third since 2000, according to the Ministry of Defence.
Britain is woefully under-prepared and could not fight a “high-intensity” war, MPs on the Defence Committee warned.
Army numbers have plummeted from 109,600 in 2000 to 76,950 last year.
The Navy shrank from 42,800 to 32,590. And the RAF went from 54,600 to 31,940.
The duty to protect our values
WHEN the miracle vaccine landed to lift us out of the darkness of the pandemic, the NHS needed an entire squadron of vaccinators.
The Sun led the Jabs Army campaign and thousands of heroes helped get our country back on its feet.
It was an amazing effort, a moment of Blitz spirit to save lives and serve our country.
We have made progress after the shocks of the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The economy is stabilised and back to growth, but young Brits are growing up in a more uncertain, more unstable world than previous generations.
Russia has started a war on the European continent. Iran’s proxies are firing at British ships in the Red Sea. China is conducting cyber-attacks.
And technology is changing our society at a dizzying speed, leaving young people uncertain about the future and bombarded with enviable images of their peers’ lives online.
It’s having a profound effect on their well-being, sense of belonging and ability to find a purpose. Over 15 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds are not in education or employment.
One in four young people wouldn’t consider being friends with someone who supports a political party they don’t like.
We must urgently reverse the trends of disengagement and division. We need to regain the sense of duty from the Jabs Army, make our country more secure and forge a stronger national culture.
That’s why a Conservative government would reinvent compulsory National Service for all 18-year-olds.
Teens can apply to a year-long placement in the Armed Forces or cyber-defence, gaining life-changing expertise and boosting our ranks of engineers and military personnel.
Those that don’t want to do military service will build up skills by volunteering in civic roles, such as a local first aider or supporting flood defences.
Compulsory National Service will forge shared values, pull us together and develop critical skills of younger generations.
Conservatives know what a great country we are, the best country in the world, in fact, but we need to boost our resilience against future shocks.
We also need to protect British values, of generosity, duty and patriotism, because it’s our values that make us great.
We did it before and with a Conservative government led by Rishi Sunak, we can do it again now.
By James Cleverly
Ukraine brutally illustrates that regular armies start wars; citizen armies win them
Gen Sir Patrick Sanders
Sweden, Switzerland and Israel already have National Service.
In France, President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to bring back National Service.
Under the Tory plan, every 18-year-old will either join up with a branch of the Armed Forces, or a cyber defence team, for a year.
Or they can volunteer for one weekend per month at a charity or a community group, including organisations such as the police, fire or ambulance services.
Ministers are also open to letting older adults voluntarily do it.
The first pilot will be open for applications from September 2025 — before rolling it out nationally to everyone by the end of the parliament, 2029/30.
It is expected to cost £2.5billion a year and will be paid for with cash from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund — created to help level-up Britain, and by cracking down on tax avoidance.
It comes amid alarm at a rise in young Brits not in work or education.
Around 850,000 18 to 24-year-olds are not in education, work or training, up 20,000 in a year, according to the Office for National Statistics.
It is the highest since 2016 — and was driven by young men.
Britain introduced National Service in 1947 as the country recovered from the Second World War.
Able-bodied men aged 18 to 21 were called up to help the nation maintain its diminishing Empire around the world.
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They also helped provide the Army with a large garrison force in post-war Germany and a smaller one in Japan.
National Service was scrapped in 1960.
The PM’s plan comes as Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party are over 20 points ahead in the polls.
The Tories are battling to close the gap by making the race about national security — saying only they can be trusted to arm and defend Britain and stand by our allies.
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Mr Sunak has also vowed to hike defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030.
Labour have said they want to hit 2.5 per cent only when they can afford it.
Brilliant way for young to gather skills
By Jerome Starkey
NATIONAL Service is a great idea. It exalts the idea of giving something back.
It gives people a chance to be part of something bigger.
Covid showed there was no shortage of those ready to help a crisis.
But opportunities are scarce, especially for youngsters who are not qualified for teaching or health roles.
It will train youngsters in skills our predecessors took for granted.
It’s not about stripping a rifle or polishing boots. It’s about self-reliance, camaraderie and teamwork.
Those that choose the military route will learn how to cope when the power is out and the wi-fi is down.
The skills and confidence they learn will help them get better jobs and lead better lives.
National Service lets the country build the structures it would need for mass conscription if the flag went up for all-out war.
Ukraine has shown us — and our generals have warned us — that if Britain fought a state-on-state war of survival, the professional Army would wear out fast.
Our best chance of victory would be calling up reserves and using professionals to train the volunteers.
It would also solve the Forces’ recruitment crisis.
The Army, Navy and RAF have struggled to fill their vacancies.
National service would return the Armed Forces to the heart of British life, where they rightfully belong.
