Military Conscription Is Making a Comeback in Europe

Since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Europe has seen a resurgence in both compulsory and voluntary military service.

In the 1990s and 2000s, most European countries phased out mandatory conscription, opting for professional armies only. But recent geopolitical developments in Eastern Europe, marked by the return of high-intensity warfare on the EU's doorstep and Russia's hybrid warfare tactics against the bloc, have prompted a reassessment.

Lithuania became the first EU country to reintroduce compulsory conscription in 2015, followed by Sweden in 2017 and Latvia in 2024, while Norway and Denmark extended conscription to women in 2015 and 2025, respectively. In October 2025, Croatia’s lawmakers voted to reinstate mandatory military service starting in 2026, raising the count of EU countries with a compulsory draft to nine.

Even countries hesitant to reintroduce mandatory military enlistment have turned to voluntary programs. In 2025, countries like France, Germany, Belgium and Poland (program initiated in 2022) announced the launch of new voluntary services starting in 2026. France's new 10-month voluntary program, announced in November 2025, replaces its earlier civic service ("service national universel") and is expected to start next summer. Meanwhile, Germany plans to recruit 20,000 volunteers annually starting in 2026, reversing its 2011 suspension of conscription.