As the drums of war beat ever louder, conscription is once again a hot topic of conversation in Europe. Russia’s war in Ukraine and the aggressive expansionist ambitions of Vladimir Putin have made the prospect of a wider European conflict far more real.
With the United States seemingly reluctant to provide Europe with a security guarantee, the continent’s leaders are scrambling to beef up their militaries. Germany’s new Chancellor Friedrich Merz is leading the way, as he ramps up defence spending. Other countries have made pledges to increase military spending as a percentage of their GDP.
During the Cold War, at least one year of military service was an obligatory requirement in most European nations.
However, many scrapped compulsory military service following the collapse of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact in the early 1990s.
Now, some EU states are reintroducing compulsory conscription for young men and women, as they seek to build up their military reserves.
Latvia reintroduced obligatory military service for young men last year, amid growing fears that Russia could invade the Baltics in the near future.
The country shares an 180-mile border with Russia, and was at times a part of both the Russian and Soviet empires.
Latvia’s President Edgars Rinkevics has encouraged all European states to follow his country’s example.
“Seeing what is happening in the world, the decision that we took – many other European countries need to follow that,” he recently said.
Besides Latvia, there are eight EU countries where military service is currently compulsory.
They are Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden.
Recent opinion polls also show that public opinion in France and Germany is supportive of obligatory military service.
A YouGov poll found 68% of French people and 58% of Germans favour mandatory military service for young people.
Mike Martin, a member of the Defence Select Committee, told the Express that the UK would reintroduce conscription in the event of war with Russia.
The MP for Tunbridge Wells said: “Obviously, if we get involved in a general war with Russia, we’ll be conscripting the population – there’s no question about that.”