With the collapse of communism and the end of the Cold War, several countries abolished compulsory service in the armed forces. Since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine, however, governments have been considering reinstituting it.
(DW) After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War in the 1990s, compulsory military service seemed to be on its way to extinction in Europe. Over the past 20 years, or even earlier, it has in fact been abolished in most countries on the continent.
Germany suspended military service in 2011, but with the possibility of being reintroduced if the Bundestag (lower house of parliament) decides that there is a need for defense, as stipulated in the Basic Law.
The situation is similar in many other European countries: Of the 29 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including Turkey, only six have retained compulsory membership since 1993. The United Kingdom, the United States and Canada have had exclusively professional armed forces for more than 50 years.
However, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has sparked lively debate on the issue in Europe, with several states considering reintroducing compulsion and strengthening their defense budgets.
Ukraine and Lithuania
Shortly after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ukraine reinstated compulsory military service for men aged 18 to 26. Lithuania followed suit four years later, for those aged 18 to 25. After Moscow launched its full-scale invasion, on February 24, 2022, Kiev enacted a law making all men aged 18 to 60 potentially eligible for military service.
Latvia
Latvia is one of three NATO members, alongside Estonia and the newly affiliated Finland, which share borders with the contiguous main territory of Russia. Riga is considering reintroducing compulsory military service, which the other two have never suspended.
Starting in 2024, all men aged 18 to 27 will have to undergo 11 months of military training. From 2028 onward, 7,500 Latvians will be drafted each year. According to NATO, this is equivalent to the total number of professional soldiers in the country in 2022.
Romania
The first attempt to reinstitute compulsory military service in Romania in 2015 failed, but in the second quarter of 2023 Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, a reserve general, came out in favor of the measure.
In a draft law released in 2022, the Romanian Ministry of Defense proposes that in the event of general mobilization, all citizens of enlistment age living abroad should report for military service within 15 days.
Netherlands and Sweden
The Dutch Armed Forces currently have a deficit of 9,000 soldiers, and the government is considering increasing the contingent by imposing compulsory military service, as Sweden has done since 2018.
The largest Scandinavian country had abolished the requirement eight years earlier, but reinstated it due to low voluntary enlistment rates. Now, all 18-year-old citizens have to report, but only a small portion are conscripted to serve – as is also the case in Norway.
Norway and Denmark
In the home country of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, since 2016 all 18-year-old citizens of both sexes must report for military service. However, only about 9,000 of the 60,000 annual applicants are called up to serve for 19 months. According to official sources, in Norway the service has a level of prestige comparable to higher education, due to the rigorous selection process.
Denmark also maintains compulsory military service, but there are enough volunteers to fill the national demand.
France
Paris is currently debating a “light” form of compulsory military service. In 2019, President Emmanuel Macron introduced Universal National Service, allowing young people to serve the country for a month as volunteers. He is now considering making it compulsory for all French people between the ages of 15 and 17.
Germany
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’ proposal for compulsory military service in Germany. However there are calls from across the political spectrum for a debate on the issue.
Bundestag Commissioner for the Armed Forces Eva Högl, also a Social Democrat like Scholz and Pistorius, recently proposed discussing the introduction of one year’s compulsory service in military or civilian institutions. In addition, she suggested that members of the Armed Forces speak about their work in schools.