UK’s Shapps: Britain may reconsider conscription in case of world war
In the event of a global conflict, London may rethink its decision on military conscription – as noted by British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, TASS reports with reference to the Financial Times
Earlier, Patrick Sanders, Chief of the General Staff of the British Armed Forces, called on citizens ‘to be trained and equipped’ to fight in a potential war with Russia, though London confirmed that it does not plan to introduce conscription. According to the Times newspaper, army numbers could be reduced by a third in another decade: from almost 75 thousand soldiers currently to 52 thousand people.
Shapps stressed that there are no plans to form an army based on conscription in the UK. However, he also clarified that in the event of a global conflict, this position may have to be rethought.
He believes the British Army’s lethality is due to its professionalism but underlined the need to improve the recruitment and retention process.
