What is national service?

National service is compulsory or organised service for young people, usually in the armed forces. The UK had peacetime conscription from 1949 until 1960, when call-ups ended. In the UK today the term usually refers to proposals to bring back military or civic service for 18 year olds.

After the Second World War, healthy young men had to serve in the armed forces, at first for 18 months and later two years. About two million men served. The last call-ups were in 1960 and the last national servicemen left in 1963. Since then the UK has relied on a volunteer military.

In 2024 the Conservatives proposed a scheme for 18 year olds. They would either take a selective military placement or volunteer one weekend a month. It was not enacted. Separately, a small paid military gap year scheme for under-25s was announced in December 2025 to start in 2026. Critics questioned its cost and whether volunteering could be enforced.

Several European countries have conscription, including Norway, Finland and Sweden. Supporters argue national service would build skills, social cohesion and defence readiness. Critics say it would be costly, could disrupt education and work, and that the armed forces want trained volunteers, not reluctant conscripts. The UK armed forces have struggled to meet recruitment targets in recent years, which has revived the debate. Supporters of the gap year scheme hope it will become a recruitment route.