The UK is lagging its European allies in preparing for war, as global tensions rise and fears of a third World War mount.
While Germany, Finland and Poland are actively responding to a potential threat, the UK’s commitment to upping defence spending is “woefully too little and too late”, according to Dr Melanie Garson, an international conflict expert at University College London (UCL).
It comes as a bill to put key British industries on a war footing has reportedly been delayed by a year – despite being recommended by the Strategic Defence Review.
As strikes continue across the Middle East and Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on, here’s how other European nations are protecting themselves – and how Britain is leaving itself vulnerable.
Finland
Finland – which shares a 1,340 km border with Russia – is widely regarded as the most prepared Nato member for a major armed conflict.
Dr Garson, associate professor in international security and conflict resolution at UCL, said the Scandinavian nation is “a gold standard of preparedness in Europe”, with a sustained civil defence infrastructure.
Finland now has more than 50,000 shelters, having spent decades converting facilities such as underground car parks and swimming pools into nuclear bunkers that can protect 87 per cent of the population.
It has one of the largest militaries in Europe, despite a comparatively small population of 5.5 million, with a mandatory national service for all male citizens.
Under the model, Finnish men aged 18 to 60 are liable to be conscripted, while women can serve voluntarily. Those liable for military service must complete either armed or unarmed military service, which lasts 165 days or 255 days for those with a specialism.
All civilians are on standby to switch to war footing, with a 72-hour warning system to prepare them to survive for three days without electricity, heat, water and food.
France
France faces similar challenges to the UK with a lack of ammunition and manpower, having phased out conscription after the Second World War.
But the nation has moved to expand its military capabilities, reintroducing a phased model of voluntary conscription for young men and women later this year.
Dr Garson said France has also “issued manuals to households on civil preparedness” and is “working to increase its reserve forces in a way that the UK is still not addressing”.
Last year, The i Paper revealed that the UK is introducing a new military gap year programme to bolster Armed Forces recruitment.
The scheme opened for recruitment early this year, with an initial cohort of about 150 participants, but ministers want it to grow to more than 1,000 young people a year.
Moscow has stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian critical infrastructure (Photo: Oleksandr Gimanov/AFPGetty Images)France’s scheme is much larger, with numbers initially restricted to 3,000 but set to rise to 50,000 by 2035.
In the UK, senior military figures are calling for a larger conscription model to sustain long-term military commitments and build up national resilience.
Last year, the chief of the defence staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, said that more Britons must be ready to fight for their country, warning that “more families will know what sacrifice for our nation means”.
Poland
Poland has “massively ramped up its defence posture” due to its proximity to Ukraine, Dr Garson said.
The Eastern European nation has committed a minimum of 4 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defence, and its army is now the third-largest in Nato.
Poland has also strengthened its border with Belarus, with a decrease in illegal migration attempts by 96 per cent.
British soldiers recently took part in a Nato training exercise in Norway (Photo: John Macdougall/AFP/Getty Images)Dr Garson said that the UK, by comparison, is “not moving fast or far enough”.
The Strategic Defence Review, the National Security Strategy and the Defence Industrial Strategy set out the steps that the UK should be taking to prepare the country for war.
But the Defence Readiness Bill has been put back to mid-2027 at the earliest, with The Times reporting the legislation will not feature in the upcoming King’s Speech.
Britain has increased spending commitments on defence from 2.3 per cent of GDP to 3.5 per cent over the next 10 years, as well as measures to increase societal resilience.
But Dr Garson said this is considered to be “woefully too little and too late”.
She added that delays in the UK sending naval capacity to Cyprus following a drone strike on RAF Akrotiri last month showed the nation is “short on the weapons systems, supplies and the mindset to be prepared for war”.
Germany
Since the start of the year, it is mandatory for all German men between 17 and 45 to get permission from the German Military Career Center if they want to leave Germany for more than three months.
Previously, the obligation only applied to states of defence or external threat: 18-year olds are now sent a questionnaire to assess their suitability and motivation for service, which is mandatory for young men to complete.
If war does break out, full compulsory military service could be considered, drawing on these questionnaires.
The nation has also increased manufacturing capability for the defence industry, including a strategic partnership between US defence tech company Anduril and German defence giant Rheinmetall.
It has also worked with other countries, including Israel, to invest in a cyberdome to help protect its cyber infrastructure.
Other European nations, from Norway to Latvia
Countries on the front line of Russian military threats, including Lithuania, Sweden and Latvia, have brought back mandatory military service in recent years.
Latvia’s president, Edgars Rinkevics, said that other European nations should “absolutely” introduce conscription to counter threats coming from Russia.
From January, Croatia has also reintroduced mandatory military service for men aged 19 to 29, who now have to complete 2 months of basic military training. Romania will also bring in a four-month voluntary military service in 2026 for all citizens who have not previously served or are not reservists.
Sweden and Norway have reopened civil bunkers, with the latter planning to reintroduce an obligation to build bomb shelters in large new buildings.
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