Nearly three quarters of Brits unwilling to fight for Britain in the event of war

Three in five Brits would not fight for the UK if the country came under attack, shocking new polling shows. The polling conducted exclusively for the Daily Express found that 64% of those asked said they were not willing to join the armed forces in the event of war, with a further 6% saying they were unsure.

The figures show that in every age bracket, the majority of respondents said they would be 'not very willing' or 'not willing at all' to serve, including 18 to 24 year olds where 52% of those asked would be unwilling to serve, combined with 51% of 25 to 34 years olds. Earlier this year, the head of the Armed Forces Admiral Sir Tony Radakin refuted claims that young people were unwilling to serve their country, blaming the ongoing recruitment crisis within the UK military on "behind the times" recruitment practises. Twins Amelia and Pearce Knight, 16, from Wakefield, Yorkshire, have recently obtained their GCSE results and have differing views on their willingness to serve in the military if called upon.

Amelia told the Daily Express: "A career in the military just doesn't really appeal to me and I think that even if the country was at war, I wouldn't want to join the military.

"That is not to say that I would not do something to help, but I think I would find another way of doing it like working in a factory and producing ammunition or something.

"I just don't feel like I would be good in war or at fighting but I would definitely help in other ways."

Her brother disagrees and hopes to join the RAF to become a pilot when he is 18.

Pearce, who plans to study maths and physics at A-level in pursuit of his flying dreams said: "I have always wanted to be a pilot and currently my plan is to join the RAF and fly fast jets, although I might consider a career flying in other branches of the armed forces if that doesn't work out."

The Daily Express polling is the latest in a string of research which shows declining enthusiasm for a career in the armed forces, either in peacetime or war.

Last year, joining the military was listed as the third least appealing career amongst Gen-Z, with only work in fast-food giants McDonalds and KFC scoring worse.

Shadow Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois believes that the blame for a lack of enthusiasm amongst the population for a career in the military lies with the government and their failure to protect veterans and improve the lived experience of those in uniform.

He told the Daily Express: "Given the way this Labour Government is pursuing our Northern Ireland Veterans, it's unsurprising that people might now hesitate about joining the Armed Forces."

He does however believe that as in the two world wars, young people would step up if required to defend the realm.

He added: "Nevertheless, I truly believe that if our nation were genuinely attacked, the people of this country, including its young people, would rally to our defence - just as they did in World War Two, despite almost a decade of appeasement beforehand."

The polling shows clearly a disconnect between the majority of the public and the armed forces, something admitted by the government in a recent strategic defence review.

Since 2010, the army has seen troop numbers dwindle from 110,000 to less than 74,000 in the government's latest figures - a figure which would see the British Army fail to fill Wembley stadium.

This has in part been a conscious decision by leaders to develop a smaller force complimented by greater technology over two decades of campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, where combat with insurgents required less mass than conventional warfare.

However, it is in part due to all three services consistently failing to meet recruitment targets throughout the 21st century due to a variety of reasons including archaic medical standards, reduced operational commitments, high-profile failures of cultures and changing attitudes amongst young people.

Last year, recruiting giant Capita, who have overseen army recruitment since 2012, performed so badly that it was labelled a "national security risk", having recruited just 63% of its target.

Backbench Conservative MP Danny Kruger (Devizes) told the Commons: "The Public Accounts Committee, I understand, heard that for every five people recruited to the armed services, eight are leaving.

"That is a national security crisis, it is not just a problem for recruitment, it is an absolutely profound security risk."

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR), undertaken to examine the military's preparedness for war, identified that "decades of fighting wars overseas and shrinking personnel numbers have led to a society with less awareness of Defence."

To address this, the report's authors recommended that steps be taken to improve "society's understanding of what the Armed Forces do," with an emphasis on increasing the visibility of the work undertaken by soldiers, sailors and aviators.

To do this, the report identified co-operation with the Department for Education to develop understanding of the Armed Forces among young people in schools, expanding the cadet force and working closer with the private sector to foster a greater relationship between the public and the military.

The cadet force allows young people to experience the armed forces whilst learning skills and playing a part in their local community. The MOD says the organisation is "based on the traditions, values and standards of their parent Service but they are not part of the Armed Forces."

Whilst not part of an official recruiting process, the MOD says that it aims to"promote an understanding of what the Armed Forces' roles and responsibilities are, and provide assistance to any cadet who expresses an interest in joining the Armed Forces later in life."

Under the proposals included in the SDR, the cadet force would be expanded by 30% by 2030, with an ambition to expand that further to include 250,000 serving cadets. There are currently around 140,000.