Enlisting conscripts in the UK would not be useful, as Vladimir Putin has found out, a former Nato secretary general has said.
"Conscription is not a good way of bolstering our defenses, even though some generals are now beginning to advocate that," Lord George Robertson said.
He appeared to reference Russians fleeing the country after Putin announced the first mobilisation since the second world war.
Lord Robertson's comments came after remarks made by General Sir Patrick Sanders, the outgoing Chief of the General Staff (CGS), were interpreted as suggesting that conscription could be required in any potential future battle with Moscow due to the British Army being too small.