It depends on the contract or the MSO (Eight-year Military Service Obligation (MSO)). In the US, enlisted men and women - although most never know it - actually sign up for 8 years. Yeah, yeah, yeah, their "enlistment" may only be for 2, 4, or 6 years, but when there enlistment is complete, they are STILL subject to being called back as "Inactive Reserves." So back during Desert Storm and Gulf War 2, many poor sots suddenly found out that their rating had become important to national security and suddenly, with little notice, they are back in uniform and are on their way to Iraq or Syria or Afghanistan in order to "give their lives for their country" which can be translated to - the Military Industrial Complex lobbying efforts worked and the President and Congress decided to head back to war so that the US (UK, EU) weapons manufacturers and "Defense" contractors and their stockholders can rake in piles of Benjamins on the coffins of US plebs, cannon-fodder, and useless-eaters, errr patriots. Which is exactly why I put in 8 full years before discharging my enlistment. Had I not, I would have no doubt been rounded up and sent to the first Iraq War (you know, we had to fight Saddam because he was throwning Kuwaiti babies out of incubators blah blah blah) and then perhaps Iraq War 2.0 (Saddam flew two airplanes into the World Trade Center towers and had "Weapons Of Mass Destruction" blah blah blah). The UK has something similar which I believe is called Recall Liability where they can recall enlisted service member who discharges pretty much at the whim of the government. Western governments have been projecting that they plan to be at war with Russia and/or China between 2027 to 2030. Really - Western cultures are war-mongers who engage in forever wars because - War equals Revenues & Profits & The Spoils of War. Western governments simply can not get enough war. So yeah - the UK will call up all of their veterans first - because they can. I don't think most Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha want to go die for their countries rabid foreign affairs "forever war goals" so the veterans are the low hanging fruit. Once the West, ie, NATO establishes a casus belli to begin their wars, then you'll probably see the equivalent to press gangs rounding up military aged men to go and die for their "Racket." Remember! War's A Racket: https://www.heritage-history.com/site/hclass/secret_societies/ebooks/pdf/butler_racket.pdf You won't see Baron Trump on the front. The elites who want these wars protect their own children and grandchilden, but are happy to send your kids to go fight and die for their profitable war Funny how that works - 'eh plebiscites?
