I’d enlist to fight in a war – even as a ‘woke’ millennial

As Keir Starmer unveiled plans today for an increase in defence spending in the UK, he argues the best way to deter aggression is with a trained Reserve ready to fight.

As a self-confessed bleeding heart liberal, I think the Prime Minister is right. 

Believing that doesn’t make me a warmonger; it makes me one of the first who’d pick up arms.

By every measure, I’m a left-wing stereotype: A metropolitan, millennial, liberal, pro‑European, anti‑Trump, anti-gun, anti-war, Ukraine‑defending, ‘woke’, DEI‑supporting, internationalist, vegetarian who chooses cycling over driving every time.

And yet, if my country was threatened tomorrow, I would not hesitate to fight for her. 

This confession – shared with only a handful of people (until now!) – tends to short‑circuit any conversation.

Progressives hear it and immediately summon images of chest‑beating nationalism or indefensible wars waged in our name.

That reflex, while not without historical foundation, exposes a blind spot.

It confuses the abuse of force with the existence of force, and it ignores a hard truth: Our generation has outsourced the defence of democracy to ‘someone else’.

And with Keir Starmer talking of a ‘unity of purpose’ with his defence plans,but a 2024 YouGov poll revealed only 6% of Britons would volunteer if another world war erupted.

A shocking 36% of 18- to 24-year-olds and 33% of 25- to 49-year-olds said they’d still refuse even if called up.

You only have to cross a few borders to see our brave Ukrainian neighbours – people our age and younger in battle against an invader.

Their struggle is daily, physical and unimaginably costly – all for the fundamental right to exist.

Yes, they rely on conscription as well as volunteers, but their bravery reminds us that the liberties we champion and upon which our country is founded – free speech, human rights, the rule of law – survive only when citizens are prepared to guard them with something heavier than a hashtag.

In the UK, we need to step up, like our grandparents did in two bloody World Wars. 

And so, much to the literal open-mouthed silence of a close friend and the stunned horror of my partner, I confessed I recently contacted both a British Army and Navy Reserve unit.

Truthfully, my skills would likely be better used elsewhere, and I’m hardly front‑line‑fit.

But if just 10% of British adults under 35 joined the Reserves – that’s roughly 1.3 million people – the mere act would stiffen deterrence, signal unity with allies and, crucially, send a warning shot to the Putins of this world. 

None of this requires conscription.

What it requires is a cultural reset: Universities that treat Reserve training with the same prestige as Erasmus placements; trade unions that negotiate protected leave for service; progressive politicians who speak of defence with the same urgency they reserve for the NHS. 

So yes, I’m a liberal millennial. I recycle obsessively, believe trans rights are human rights and think we should re‑join the EU yesterday.

But I also believe that if darker forces come to our doorstep, the progressive response is not to leave the burden to someone else, but to shoulder it ourselves.

I want all wars to end, but readiness is not warmongering. It is the silent promise that liberty will never be forfeited for lack of volunteers. 

Making – and keeping – that promise might be the most radical act my generation ever performs.

And for those who ask, what would we be fighting for?

As someone who left the UK to live in the US, I can tell you that our imperfect little island punches way above its weight. 

We stumble now and again – Brexit being a fairly major faux pas – but when push comes to shove, we almost always get it right.

From Kosovo to Ebola relief, I couldn’t be prouder of our leadership in stepping up to preserve a liberal global order time and time again. 

It came much later than I’d have liked, and of course there is more action needed, but when Israel took things too far in Palestine, we pulled out of trade talks, publicly called for a halt to military operations and demanded the immediate flow of humanitarian aid.

While we should be doing more – including deploying troops – we didn’t even blink before picking a side when Putin began an unprovoked, illegal invasion of Ukraine.

And just as Ukrainians refuse to back down despite years of brutal attrition, we haven’t flinched and we haven’t left their side – not for a single second.

Because that’s who we are. We can be a self‑critical nation and still worth defending.

The United Kingdom today is, at its core, the same proud country that declared war to defend our Polish neighbours in 1939 and opened its arms to Jews fleeing Nazi persecution. 

That is our country. Tiny, sure, but damn mighty. Proud. Open. Tolerant. Progressive. Diverse.

Time and again, whether under Labour, Conservative, or Liberal Democrat coalition governments, we have sided with what is right. Sometimes a little late, sometimes a little clunky, but we always get there. 

If all that isn’t worth fighting for, I don’t know what is.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

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