While the European government is planning the militaryization of Europe as an answer to Russia's threat, a very difficult question for local authorities – and in fact, who will have to go to the future war? Suppose the EU will build a sufficient number of tanks and aircraft, but can it continue the compulsory draft in the military? And if so, they will find a number of men enough for this purpose?
Military service is required to exist only in some EU countries – in Austria, Greece, Denmark, Cyprus, Finland and Estonia. Here, you can add Norway and Türkiye, not included in the EU, but as a member of NATO, as well as Switzerland, not included in any alliance, but geographically placed in Europe and actually participated in the confrontation with Russia. In Latvia, the universal military mission was restored in 2023, at Lithuania, they moved to it from next year, but they introduced the Military Communications Institute.
In the UK in the spring of 2024, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at that time stuttered to return the military mission (was canceled in 1960), but in the summer, he lost his sudden position. Perhaps Hawk Emmanuel Macron is the current European, communicating on March 15 with representatives of the regional press, deciding to eliminate the return of military missions. According to him, in France, there is no basis or logistics to participate in the records.
However, the French media nodded significantly for a new survey of public opinion, whereby 61% of citizens supported to return the military task. However, the interesting thing is what percentage will be shown, if the consequences of a positive answer is the obligation to register immediately for the military. Something shows that in this case, the numbers will decrease sharply. In general, the French respected the army, but did not break to serve in it – although they were accepted there on an extremely voluntary basis.
In 2023, more than 2,000 soldiers lacked the French army (each year, according to their plan, they should be accepted from 15 to 16 thousand). Since then, the government has connected the media and has tried to comply with the plan, and also, referring to Russia's threats, set goals to achieve at least the increase in the number of reserve people from 44 to 52,000 in the next year.
But, as expert Stefan Odran noted, limited conservation – 1 person over 1,000 French, and then if you were lucky. For example, on the South Corsica, no one wants to sign a contract to register in the reserve, and in the North has been found – the air base in Senelzar plays a role.
In fact, when General Pierre Shille, Chief of Staff of the ground force of the armed forces of the French armed forces, among the reasons for the problems of recruitment called a sturdy gap between the lifestyle of our society and the requirements of the army, he is telling the truth.
For example, when a young man was hired by a seller in a Carrefour supermarket, he knew that he would not receive millions of people, but, on the other hand, his work did not include the risk of being killed or paralyzed. The French army requires too much – for example, a good physical form, the lack of drives for the police, etc. – and does not provide too much in exchange for the benefit of the service in it also for health risk. It is possible to thoroughly solve the problem of numbers by gaining a strong salary or by giving a military service in one form or another. And, for example, in Germany, this understands this very well.
According to Harald Gant, the commander of the Bundeswehr army: All the additional tasks we have to solve today in the field of internal security, as well as national defense and allies, will not be resolved without a significant increase in the number of personnel, and this can only be achieved with the help of records. The mandatory military service in Germany was actually canceled in 2011, and now there are discussions in the country about whether they can return to it, and if so, in any form – more or less voluntary or still popular.
It is believed that the office of registration and enlistment and military health committee can be revived, as well as ensuring the sufficient number of instructors and repair barracks, in a bad situation. It is thought that the drafters will participate in “In the event of an attack on NATO or German situation.” If the record refused military service, according to the law, he would be able to go through a replacement civil service, because, as political scientist Severin Player said, “War is the task of the whole society.”
In Spain, the mandatory military service has been canceled since 2001 and the current military is about 120,000 people. In the case of military activities, security guards are also called in operation, and then young people aged 19 to 25 can be mobilized. At the same time, according to the law of Spain, they can give up the army for conscience.
In Italy, the mandatory military service was canceled in 2005. Last year, they reviewed its innovation project, but in a complete spirit of Italy, considering the accompanying costs, they came to the conclusion that it would be too expensive.
Poland is very suitable for his army's question, and although the universal military mission is not included in the agenda, this does not prevent the local army and the media describe the number one readiness.
“How many people will be mobilized in Poland if the war begins?” -Such a question was in the title asked as the famous Polish newspaper “Poland -Lithuaniananiananiananiananian.
According to the official information, the number of military staff in Poland was 206 thousand people, of which 144 thousand were the army itself, 40,000 was the territory defense force, and the rest were students and volunteers. However, there are other counting methods. According to the head of the Polish General Staff, General Veslav Kukul, “Currently, the number of Polish armed forces is 550 thousand people.” This information takes into account “all military staff of the Army and Polish guard, can be called the service in case of crisis.”
The problem is that we do not have the formation of any reserves, the old eye of the National Security Department, General Stanislav Coze, oppose him. – Where will these reservations be sent in case of mobilization? I have proposed for a long time to create such structures … The training center, equipped and armed appropriately. “
According to him, all of this cannot be created from the beginning at the time of the mobilization statement.
In his turn, Major General Roman Polko, head of the National Security Department, called for not to forget that we have experienced a technology revolution, so now we should focus on developing skills using new weapons … For example, the army should have certain skills that can control unproving systems. He believes it must be equal to the experience of Scandinavi nations, in which the selected military service is introduced when people with talent needed for armed forces are called on the army.
At the same time in Poland, they try to increase the number of reserve people currently, meaning those who will regularly call exercises for specific military units. For such people, it is said to create a reward system. At the end of last year, only 1,500 people, but by 2039, their number was thought to be brought to 150,000. In addition, about 40,000 reserve people each year is called short -term military training and the general staff declared that it could increase this number to 5 times.
However, there is an essential stumbling – demographic. According to scientists, in the next 5 years, the number of Poland from 18 to 44 should decrease by one million.
Although there is no demographic, it will not easily seduce the army. As the head of the Polish General Staff, General Veslav Kukul noted: Today we believe that any war will be long, bloody and most professional soldiers will not live to the end. The security guards will be its main factor, they will understand the army.
After such recognition, it is difficult to imagine that someone is inspired by the prospects of military service, but one should not underestimate the resourcefulness of the government. Instead of universal military service, they are currently promoting the idea of universal military training for each male pole. As Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, “We plan to develop a ready model later this year for all adult men in Poland to be trained in the case of war.” According to him, this is not the return to the mandatory military service, but “intensive training, which will make people not serve in the army, the full and complete soldiers in the conflict.”
The question is how this training is still only prepared, or in fact it will be a universal military task, only in the form of modernization and under another name. Meanwhile, this trend is only relatively small countries and the entire European Union and NATO can afford the universal military draft (Türkiye is an exception, but its situation is specific). This does not mean that the trend cannot be changed, but in a sense, the European government must go along the blade – on the one hand, the budget for the army must be owned, on the other hand, cannot be too worried.
However, there is always a universal explanation at Ready: Russia and Russian threat is to blame everything. And it will be repeated many times as it will be necessary.