WHO WILL THEY PUT IN UNIFORM? - Jim Ferguson

If Britain faced a serious national crisis tomorrow, whowould defend it?Britain's Armed Forces are preparing for a world theGovernment itself describes as increasingly dangerous and unpredictable. Warfighting readiness is being strengthened, the Reserves are under renewedscrutiny, and plans are being developed for a new Home Defence force to protectthe infrastructure on which the country depends. But behind the strategies, spending commitments and militarytechnology lies a question that cannot be answered with money alone:Where will the people come from?Who Will They Put in Uniform? investigates Britain'smilitary manpower challenge, the proposed Reserve-style Home Defence force andthe difficult questions surrounding citizenship, residency, allegiance andsecurity. It examines how other Western nations have widened military recruitment,what powers already exist within British law, and what could happen ifvoluntary recruitment were ever no longer enough. This is not a prediction of imminent conscription, nor aclaim that Britain is secretly recruiting migrants into a new army. It is aninvestigation into the decisions that may confront the country if a futurecrisis demands more people than Britain can provide. Because defence policy is abstract-until somebody has toserve. If those already in uniform are not enough, who will theyput in uniform?