Conscription Opportunities

[caminito]

With all that's going on in the world, all these wars, it seems increasingly likely that there will be conscription in the UK. Now, I'm too old for that, fortunately, but it does occur to me there may be an opportunity here. I'd say most people on this site are of conscription age and a fair percentage work in IT. So, if there is conscription and folk are shipped off to EMEA, boots on the ground, what's going to happen to the IT industry here?

Supply and demand.

It's not difficult to see rates and opportunities go sky high. Then the other side-effects, such as being able to pick your seat on the train into London. No more need to buy a 1st class ticket. This could be as big as the millenium bug or the dotcom boom, seriously. The polar opposite to what the market has been the last few years.

You can take this as far as you want. Who's going to 'look after' all the women left behind for example?

Anybody else up for conscription?

[hobnob]

Do you read the Express by any chance? They seem to be publishing articles about conscription every day, and I think this is basically just scaremongering (much like their weather headlines).

Hypothetically, if there was conscription, we don't know what the age range would be. There's an article about the history here:
https://researchbriefings.files.parl.../CBP-10226.pdf

In brief, it was originally for ages 18-41, but this gradually expanded. Likewise, it was originally for single men, but then applied to all men (except for reserved occupations), and then to women. Also, once someone was conscripted, they could be kept in the army until they were 51.

I'm not sure what you meant about "looking after" the women, but arguably women would be safer with fewer men around.

Beyond that, I think it's a bit crass to rub your hands in glee at the thought of more empty seats on the train because other people are being sent off to war.

[NotAllThere]

They'll probably conscript people in their 50s to fight on the cyberwarfare front.

[WTFH]

They'll probably conscript people in their 50s to fight on the cyberwarfare front.

All these out of work contractors could be put to use. They should start with the ones who want to work remotely, get the ones who are in Spain to go to Cyprus.

[hobnob]

They'll probably conscript people in their 50s to fight on the cyberwarfare front.

I think this is part of modern warfare. However, I don't think it's realistic to grab the average PM and say "find me a new zero-day vulnerability in Windows that we can exploit". I.e. that's a specialised skillset.

Looking at Ukraine:
Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 have been prohibited from leaving the country since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, with some exceptions. Men aged 25 to 60 can be conscripted into the armed forces.
Country policy and information note: military service, Ukraine, September 2025 (accessible) - GOV.UK

Some of them might be in support roles rather than the front lines, e.g. driving lorries full of equipment.

[ladymuck]

I would sign up. I have no idea what use I'd be but I am very willing to do my bit to defend my country. There are jobs there for all sorts, not just the cannon fodder ones.

[TheDude]

I bet ex-pats in Dubai were congratulating themselves on sky high rates as well before the missile strikes started.

If conscription was introduced in the UK the last thing I would be thinking about is contract rates and legroom on the train.

[WTFH]

Should the ex-pats/migrants who fled the UK for tax purposes be charged for repatriation flights if they are now desperate to come to the UK again?

[fatJock]

Does this really not belong in General? Seems like a crass load of old Tulip to me especially as I [and likely others here] have family in the active forces.

[ladymuck]

Does this really not belong in General? Seems like a crass load of old Tulip to me especially as I [and likely others here] have family in the active forces.

Sadly, the forum is too borked for a mod to move this to its rightful home.