Recruiting solution?

The Fortnite soldiers sprint across a bridge. They seize their weapons and open fire on an unseen enemy. Hurling themselves over an obstacle course, they reach a warehouse full of suspicious crates.

Eventually they arrive in a jungle. Then they swim along a river before walking a tightrope.

The video is part of a new campaign by the British Army to recruit young people. But some believe the Army should do without ads. Instead, you should have to join up whether you like it or not.

From 1949 to 1963, British men aged 17 to 21 had to do national serviceNon-optional military service during peacetime. . It usually lasted for 18 months and often involved going overseas.

Over two million men were conscriptedForced to join the army. .¹ But in the end it was decided that nuclear arms made large armies irrelevant.

Now the war in Ukraine has changed some people's minds. There are calls for national service to be revived.

Last week a former senior commander of NatoThe North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was founded in 1949 to unite Western democracies in Europe and North America against the perceived growing threat of the USSR. It now has 31 members. said it was time to "think the unthinkable."²

The general said the best way to avoid war was to deter Russia by building up the Army. The numbers at the moment - around 74,000 - are just not big enough.

Britain's defence secretary, Grant Shapps, has suggested Finland as a possible model. Though it has a full-time army of just 20,000, it can call on a further 260,000 if necessary.

There are 84 other countries where you have to do military service.³ In Europe they include Austria, Estonia, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

The British government has ruled conscription out for now. As an alternative, experts are calling for a "citizen volunteer army". This would be made up of people who choose to give some of their time to military training.

A poll found that 30% of Britons under 40 would refuse to serve even if the country faced invasion.⁴

Should we bring back national service?

Yes: It would help to create a sense of national unity and give discipline and direction to those who might otherwise lack motivation or drift into crime. It would also teach them valuable skills.

No: It would disrupt people's lives at a time when they could be benefiting from higher education or starting their careers. The recruits would be resentful and become ineffective soldiers - and in the worst case, might die.

Or... There should be some form of national service, but not necessarily military. Training young people to assist paramedics, firefighters or community workers is a better alternative.