The UK must reinstate National Service in a modern form as a potential world crisis looms, Lord William Hague has claimed.
The former Foreign Secretary, who also served as Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2001, suggested Britain could emulate Norway's National Service scheme.
Norway forces every 18-year-old to fill out a questionnaire ahead of a potential interview.
Those selected, approximately one-in-five young Norwegians, then serve for a year or more.
National Service could look to boost recruitment numbers in the military
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Writing in The Times, Lord Hague claimed citizenship "is not a travel document" but comes with other obligations to one's country.
He added: "The blunt truth is that the chances of getting through the next couple of decades without a dangerous world crisis are small."
There has been growing speculation about the possibility of a global conflict, with Defence Secretary Grant Shapps warning the world was "'moving from a post-war to pre-war world".
A top general also sparked conscription concerns after calling for the creation of a "citizen army".
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William Hague has written about the need for a modern National Service scheme
PAConscription was introduced during the First World War under the Military Service Act of 1916.
It was reinstated under the National Service (Armed Forces) Act during the Second World War, requiring all fighting-age men between 18 and 41 to sign up.
A new National Service Act was passed after the war ended which required men aged 17 to 21 to serve in the armed forces for 18 months and to remain on the reserve list for several years.
The last servicemen enlisted through National Service were demobilised in 1963.
The British Army is in the midst of a recruitment crisisGETTYConscientious objectors would face a tribunal if they refused National Service.
A potential return to National Service was flirted with last summer.
However, it was considered in a more voluntary way and included measures for teenagers to opt-out.
Despite General Sir Patrick Sanders' suggestion amid staff shortages, Downing Street insisted there were no plans for conscription.