Countries across Europe are considering introducing conscription as US President Donald Trump adopts an increasingly 'America first' outlook.
After World War Two ended in 1945, most European nations gradually lessened their defence spending, with almost all nations ending conscription at some point in the 20th century.
But with a conventional land war once again raging in Europe in eastern Ukraine and an increasingly isolationist President in the White House, Europe is once again flirting with the mass mobilisation of young men (and in some cases women).
As one senior NATO diplomat briefed foreignpolicy.com: “For the first time since I have worked here, allies are talking about how this could work, how we lower barriers to jobs and best practices for recruitment, including conscription."
Proponents argue large standing armies with powerful weaponry and machines are the most potent way at deterring aggression from expansionist states like Russia.
There are a range of counterarguments to the theory, from the belief large armies are a thing of the past in modern warfare to the point that governments should spend money on helping people and not on fighting each other.
Keir Starmer appears to be of the former opinion. His commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent- funded by a cut to the foreign aid budget- is a move far more associated with the right than the left.
However, it is a move in keeping with most of Europe as the continent's leader scramble to raise defence spending in the wake of Trump's pausing of military aid and intelligence to Ukraine.
The EU is currently forging ahead with plans for a £35billion aid package for Ukraine in 2025- double its contribution of last year- though Italy and Spain are stalling to see what happens with Trump's plan for a ceasefire.
Alongside increased aid, European nations are moving to rearm and bolster their armies after years of decline. This includes conscription/national service.
Last year, Latvia- a Baltic state with a 180mile border with Russia- reintroduced compulsory military service for adult males. They followed Lithuania (2015) and Sweden (2017) who introduced it in the wake of Russia annexing the Crimea in 2014.
On the weekend, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said European nations should “absolutely” introduce conscription, stating: “Seeing what is happening in the world, the decision that we took – many other European countries need to follow that."
Latvia joined eight other European countries that already have conscription in place. They are Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden.
However, several other countries appear to be in favour of introducing some form of conscription, meaning the nine nations who have it may soon become more.
YouGov's most recent polling found 68 per cent of French people and 58 per cent of German people would favour mandatory military service for young people.
That number dropped to 49 per cent in Italy, 43 per cent in Britain and 42 per cent in Spain, however.
Germany is perhaps most likely to implement conscription as Friedrich Merz, who is set to become the next Chancellor, has said he favours the reintroduction of a compulsory year in which young people could perform either military or community service.
Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has not ruled out some form of service, namely a reserve force for young people.
In France, Emmanuel Macron- who campaigned for national service in 2018- recently said he wanted to "look at ways to mobilise civilians", but added the country did not have the logistics to introduce widespread mandatory service.
How does conscription work in European countries currently?
Conscription works differently in every country and with differing periods of mandatory service.
Norway currently has the longest mandatory service of 19 months for those aged 19-44 (or 18-55 during times of war), though there are exemptions for those who are medically unfit or conscientious objectors.
Conscripts normally carry out 12 months of initial duty with the rest to be served in with the home guard.
It became the first NATO member to conscript both men and women in 2015, with women now making up a third of recruits to its army.
Austria has the shortest conscription period of six months for all men aged between 18 to 25.
Conscientious objectors can choose an alternative civilian role over the armed forces, but the service period then rises to nine months.
These conscientious objectors can fulfil their service by working in social sectors such as hospitals, nursing homes and youth organisations.
Support in Austria for conscription is broad- over 59 per cent of the population voted to uphold it in a 2013 referendum.
In Latvia- the most recent country to introduce conscription- men aged 18-27 must serve with women able to volunteer.
Recruits can fulfil civilian roles, but if they opt for military service, conscripts serve 11 months with an option for five years in the National Guard or special military training for students.
Could Britain introduce conscription?
Despite calls to introduce conscription, doing so would be a major break with history as Britain has historically championed the voluntary element of its Armed Forces.
Conscription has only been used twice in the 20th century, from 1916 to 1920 for World War One, and from 1939 to 1960 for World War Two and subsequent conflicts like the Korean War. The last conscripted soldiers left the Army in 1963.
The topic has flared up at various points since, usually in line with geopolitical crises, and was last seriously debated when the Conservatives unveiled national service as a key policy announcement before the July 2024 election.
Even with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and European nations like Latvia urging conscription, Labour has indicated it is not something on the table.
Asked on Sunday for his view, Cabinet office minister Pat McFadden said the Government was “not considering conscription” but that future decisions would respond to the “new reality”.
“We’ve announced a major increase in defence expenditure a couple of weeks ago and we do have to recognise that the world has changed,” he said to Sky News.
“The phrase ‘step up’ is used a lot in recent weeks and Europe does have to step up in terms of its own defence. President Trump isn’t actually the first president to say that, but he said it more loudly and with more force than his predecessors.
“When the world is changing as fast as it is, it’s important that we don’t cling on to old assumptions. It may be why other decisions are needed in the future that respond to a new reality.”
Asked if they had a position on conscription, the MoD pointed GB News to McFadden’s words.
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Labour appears to be on the right side of the polls here. Last year polling by YouGov found a third of Britons aged 18-40 would not serve their country if World War Three broke out.
YouGov also asked people what sort of national service scheme they would support, of which military service came last with just 28 per cent in favour and 64 per cent against.
However, politicians and senior Army chiefs are urging Labour to rethink their position.
Sir Richard Shirreff, who served as Nato's Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told The Sun conscription was needed immediately if Britain is to stand a chance in a war with Russia.
His view was shared to some extent by Colonel Hamish De Bretton Gordon who urged the government to come up with conscription plans should the worst happen with Russia.
The Colonel said: "Militarily, Britain absolutely needs to look at all the options as has been described.
"We are not in a position at the moment to fight a ground war.
"There's no way we'll avoid [conscription] unless we surrender, and I don't think anybody in this country is going to surrender without a fight, especially to Putin."
Afghanistan war veteran and Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells Mike Martin was more emphatic in his view, adding: "There's a significant chance that it [war with Russia] might happen so we must be prepared.
"Obviously, if we get involved in a general war with Russia, we'll be conscripting the population - there's no question about that."
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After World War Two ended in 1945, most European nations gradually lessened their defence spending, with almost all nations ending conscription at some point in the 20th century.
But with a conventional land war once again raging in Europe in eastern Ukraine and an increasingly isolationist President in the White House, Europe is once again flirting with the mass mobilisation of young men (and in some cases women).
As one senior NATO diplomat briefed foreignpolicy.com: “For the first time since I have worked here, allies are talking about how this could work, how we lower barriers to jobs and best practices for recruitment, including conscription."
Proponents argue large standing armies with powerful weaponry and machines are the most potent way at deterring aggression from expansionist states like Russia.
There are a range of counterarguments to the theory, from the belief large armies are a thing of the past in modern warfare to the point that governments should spend money on helping people and not on fighting each other.
Keir Starmer appears to be of the former opinion. His commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent- funded by a cut to the foreign aid budget- is a move far more associated with the right than the left.
However, it is a move in keeping with most of Europe as the continent's leader scramble to raise defence spending in the wake of Trump's pausing of military aid and intelligence to Ukraine.
The EU is currently forging ahead with plans for a £35billion aid package for Ukraine in 2025- double its contribution of last year- though Italy and Spain are stalling to see what happens with Trump's plan for a ceasefire.
Alongside increased aid, European nations are moving to rearm and bolster their armies after years of decline. This includes conscription/national service.
Last year, Latvia- a Baltic state with a 180mile border with Russia- reintroduced compulsory military service for adult males. They followed Lithuania (2015) and Sweden (2017) who introduced it in the wake of Russia annexing the Crimea in 2014.
On the weekend, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said European nations should “absolutely” introduce conscription, stating: “Seeing what is happening in the world, the decision that we took – many other European countries need to follow that."
Latvia joined eight other European countries that already have conscription in place. They are Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden.
However, several other countries appear to be in favour of introducing some form of conscription, meaning the nine nations who have it may soon become more.
YouGov's most recent polling found 68 per cent of French people and 58 per cent of German people would favour mandatory military service for young people.
That number dropped to 49 per cent in Italy, 43 per cent in Britain and 42 per cent in Spain, however.
Germany is perhaps most likely to implement conscription as Friedrich Merz, who is set to become the next Chancellor, has said he favours the reintroduction of a compulsory year in which young people could perform either military or community service.
Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has not ruled out some form of service, namely a reserve force for young people.
In France, Emmanuel Macron- who campaigned for national service in 2018- recently said he wanted to "look at ways to mobilise civilians", but added the country did not have the logistics to introduce widespread mandatory service.
How does conscription work in European countries currently?
Conscription works differently in every country and with differing periods of mandatory service.
Norway currently has the longest mandatory service of 19 months for those aged 19-44 (or 18-55 during times of war), though there are exemptions for those who are medically unfit or conscientious objectors.
Conscripts normally carry out 12 months of initial duty with the rest to be served in with the home guard.
It became the first NATO member to conscript both men and women in 2015, with women now making up a third of recruits to its army.
Austria has the shortest conscription period of six months for all men aged between 18 to 25.
Conscientious objectors can choose an alternative civilian role over the armed forces, but the service period then rises to nine months.
These conscientious objectors can fulfil their service by working in social sectors such as hospitals, nursing homes and youth organisations.
Support in Austria for conscription is broad- over 59 per cent of the population voted to uphold it in a 2013 referendum.
In Latvia- the most recent country to introduce conscription- men aged 18-27 must serve with women able to volunteer.
Recruits can fulfil civilian roles, but if they opt for military service, conscripts serve 11 months with an option for five years in the National Guard or special military training for students.
Could Britain introduce conscription?
Despite calls to introduce conscription, doing so would be a major break with history as Britain has historically championed the voluntary element of its Armed Forces.
Conscription has only been used twice in the 20th century, from 1916 to 1920 for World War One, and from 1939 to 1960 for World War Two and subsequent conflicts like the Korean War. The last conscripted soldiers left the Army in 1963.
The topic has flared up at various points since, usually in line with geopolitical crises, and was last seriously debated when the Conservatives unveiled national service as a key policy announcement before the July 2024 election.
Even with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and European nations like Latvia urging conscription, Labour has indicated it is not something on the table.
Asked on Sunday for his view, Cabinet office minister Pat McFadden said the Government was “not considering conscription” but that future decisions would respond to the “new reality”.
“We’ve announced a major increase in defence expenditure a couple of weeks ago and we do have to recognise that the world has changed,” he said to Sky News.
“The phrase ‘step up’ is used a lot in recent weeks and Europe does have to step up in terms of its own defence. President Trump isn’t actually the first president to say that, but he said it more loudly and with more force than his predecessors.
“When the world is changing as fast as it is, it’s important that we don’t cling on to old assumptions. It may be why other decisions are needed in the future that respond to a new reality.”
Asked if they had a position on conscription, the MoD pointed GB News to McFadden’s words.
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Labour appears to be on the right side of the polls here. Last year polling by YouGov found a third of Britons aged 18-40 would not serve their country if World War Three broke out.
YouGov also asked people what sort of national service scheme they would support, of which military service came last with just 28 per cent in favour and 64 per cent against.
However, politicians and senior Army chiefs are urging Labour to rethink their position.
Sir Richard Shirreff, who served as Nato's Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told The Sun conscription was needed immediately if Britain is to stand a chance in a war with Russia.
His view was shared to some extent by Colonel Hamish De Bretton Gordon who urged the government to come up with conscription plans should the worst happen with Russia.
The Colonel said: "Militarily, Britain absolutely needs to look at all the options as has been described.
"We are not in a position at the moment to fight a ground war.
"There's no way we'll avoid [conscription] unless we surrender, and I don't think anybody in this country is going to surrender without a fight, especially to Putin."
Afghanistan war veteran and Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells Mike Martin was more emphatic in his view, adding: "There's a significant chance that it [war with Russia] might happen so we must be prepared.
"Obviously, if we get involved in a general war with Russia, we'll be conscripting the population - there's no question about that."
Find Out More...