Faced with fear of Russia, Europe resumes military service to awaken the war spirit

The 29 European member states of NATO have 1.5 million professional soldiers. Russia has 1.3 million. European soldiers have more modern means at their disposal and have not been involved in a war of attrition, trenches and grenades for almost four years. Given these numbers, Europe should not feel the need to reclaim “the military.” military service, compulsory or voluntary, But many of your countries do. The explanation lies in the collective psyche rather than military needs.

Most European men now over 50 years of age performed military service of varying lengths, in some cases up to two years. Most didn’t charge a fee for this. He was given bed and food because he gave his country months or years of brief military training. During the Cold War, it was assumed that if war returned, millions of men capable of properly using a rifle would be needed.

The Cold War ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall and shortly thereafter Many countries began to abolish conscription and switch to professional army systems where soldiers became public employees such as doctors, police officers or teachers.

At the same time, military spending was reduced. Belgium was the first European country to put an end to “the military”. He did it in 1994. The others followed: France in 1996, Spain in 2001 or, most recently, Germany in 2011. The British did it much earlier, in the middle of the Cold War, in 1963.

Governments decided to professionalize armies and transform them into smaller but much more effective forces. It was one of the so-called “peace dividends” because the end of the Cold War made it unnecessary to maintain mandatory conscription of at least nine months (and in some cases up to two years) when there were no enemies in sight.

Not all men were drafted into the “military” as the armies did not have space for everyone, which is why in many cases there were draws. For example, a letter was drawn and everyone whose last name was based on that letter was called until the service was full. Those who escaped were known as “overquotas.” The “surplus quota” was a stroke of luck because you could continue to work or study. Over time it has been made more flexible so as not to alter academic careers. While the university studies were completed, “extensions” were applied for and people only “joined the military” after completing their studies.

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which enters its fifth year on February 22, has changed many things in Europe. With the aggression of a nuclear superpower against a neighboring country, war returned to the old continent. Without provocation, simply because Russia believes that a large part of Ukraine should belong to it and that the country should be a vassal state whose decisions in international politics should be dictated from Moscow.

In Europe in 2022 there was hardly any military service, but They’re coming back. A quick overview shows that it is already mandatory in Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden (and in many cases not only for men but also for women). Croatia will make it mandatory from January next year.

A small group, including two of the largest on the continent (France and Germany), announced in recent weeks that they would reintroduce military service next year, but voluntarily and with payment: 800 euros for the French and 2,300 for the Germans. Under German law, the government can impose compulsory conscription if it voluntarily fails to meet the quota it deems sufficient.

Most others (Spain, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands or Poland) don’t currently propose it, but Poland has had it for almost a decade. a civilian paramilitary force They train on the weekend and in Italy people start talking about it. Poland aims to ensure that all men receive military training, although not all are required to complete military service.

Outside the European Union Conscription is compulsory in Switzerland, Norway, Moldova and countries on the edge of the continent such as Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Serbia reintroduced it this year and Montenegro and Bosnia are discussing it.

The UK is not currently considering conscription, either voluntary or compulsory. And some microstates have no military power at all: Andorra, San Marino, Monaco, Liechtenstein and the Vatican.

Political leaders are now talking about the need Restoring military capabilities weakened after the Cold War because the Russian threat seems real and immediate to them after the attack on Ukraine.

The German secret services have warned about this several times in parliament They assume that Russia will attack a European country outside of Ukraine By 2028 at the latest. If you believe the military, the threat is real. However, given the strength of the armed forces of European countries, the need for conscription is hardly justified.

The decision to return to military service in many countries is best understood from the perspective of collective psychology. European citizens lived in danger of military threats throughout the 20th century. The two world wars and the Cold War with its permanent nuclear threat shaped the continent. His mark can be seen throughout the culture of the time.

But since the 90s of the last century, and especially in this century, war has been something alien, with the exception of the civil wars in the Balkans. Europeans watch armed conflicts on television in places that seem to be on the other side of the world, such as the Persian Gulf and the Middle East. The images bring them closer to people who don’t look like them and to places they consider exotic. Ukraine changed all that. Kiev is a European city like any other and is bombarded by Russian missiles almost daily. Kiev, politicians say, is what could happen to any European city if Russia is not contained.

War is returning to European soil, returning to the military industry and returning to public budgets, but governments must also bring it back into the minds of citizens, because if they are required to sacrifice human or monetary sacrifices, they must be prepared. That’s why one of the most important high-ranking French military officials said this a few days ago Citizens must prepare to send their children to war.

Young Europeans once again have to take up arms, climb into tanks, dress up as soldiers and sleep in barracks. Just as the vast majority of their ancestors did for centuries. The military returns. Just in case the war returns.