Tech-savvy teens 'should be conscripted into armed forces to boost our defences'

Elisabeth Braw, head of the RUSI’s Modern Deterrence project, said: “A year before they leave school they receive an invitation for an online assessment. The Government selects the most promising for mental and physical aptitude tests. If someone really doesn’t want to do it – on grounds of religion and so forth – they can be exempted. But if it’s just because they don’t want to do it, the Government could theoretically force them to do it anyway.” Her report adds: “Acceptance to the programme brings with it the prestige of having been selected over the rest of the year group and the armed forces have the complete cohort for selection, which gives them access to a far wider talent pool than an all-­volunteer system.”