For at least the last three decades, the defining trend in the field of manning the armed forces in most European countries has been their transfer to the voluntary (contract) principle of recruiting rank-and-file personnel. The compulsory conscription was viewed by the left-liberal forces as something archaic, violating human rights and freedoms. It was the example of Western Europe that was guided by the domestic opponents of compulsory conscription.
Now everything is changing rapidly. For example, in Germany, the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party has begun discussions on the possibility of returning compulsory military service. Recall that the call to the Bundeswehr was stopped seven years ago, in 2011. Then the cancellation of the draft, it seemed, was in step with the times, but then the attitude of the German authorities to this issue changed. The CDU is talking not only about the return of compulsory conscription, but also about the possibility of introducing the so-called. A "universal compulsory national service" for all German men and women over the age of 18. Of course, it is still premature to talk about the introduction of such a service, but the members of the CDU are determined and, given that it is still about the ruling party, they may well achieve their goal.
Initially, the country in which there was no conscription was Great Britain. Even in the United States up to the 1960s. the army was recruited by conscription. It was this circumstance that contributed to the emergence of a massive youth anti-war movement during the Vietnam War. If only contract soldiers were at war in Vietnam, the American youth would pay much less attention to the fighting in faraway Indochina. Ultimately, in 1973, the US Army switched to a full contract basis. Today it is the largest army in the world, recruited exclusively through the recruitment of volunteers. The Chinese and Russian armies are recruited by compulsory conscription, although in the PRC the military department has, due to the country's enormous mobilization resources, the opportunity to choose only the best conscripts from among men of draft age.
In the 2000s - 2010s. in Europe there was a real epidemic of the transfer of the armed forces to a contract basis. Thus, in 2006, the compulsory conscription was canceled in Macedonia and Montenegro. However, these small states have very small armed forces, so the prestige of military service against the background of general high unemployment and a small number of vacancies for enlisted and non-commissioned officers will always be high.
In the same 2006, Romania, a large country by Eastern European standards, also canceled conscription. Throughout almost the entire history of the twentieth century, the Romanian armed forces were recruited by conscription, but now they have decided to abandon this principle, since the country has decent mobilization resources, and the size of the army is low. 2006 to 2008 Bulgaria also canceled military service on conscription, and here the cancellation of conscription took place in stages - first in the navy, then in the air force and ground forces. In 2010, conscription to the Polish Army, one of the most numerous armies in Eastern Europe, was terminated. In twenty-five years, the size of the Polish army has decreased fivefold, so the need for a large number of conscripts has also decreased.
Among the most prosperous states in Europe, one of the last to have a military conscription was canceled in Sweden. This country decided to abandon the conscription army in 2010, although until recently the Swedes diligently adhered to the concept of an "armed people" in their neutrality - all Swedish men served in the army, and military training was considered compulsory. During the Cold War, up to 85% of the country's men served in the Swedish army. However, then the number of the armed forces began to be reduced, motivating this, among other things, by the fact that since the beginning of the 19th century, Sweden has not participated in a single war. It is obvious that the transition to a contract army in 2010 was associated with the minimization of foreign policy risks.
But very soon the Swedish government realized the meaning of its mistake. In a country with a high standard of living of the population, there were not so many people willing to be hired for military service on a contract basis. Why should a young Swede go to the army, exhausting himself with training and difficult (even in Sweden) conditions of service, if “in civilian life” you can be much freer and earn much more. The question arose about the preparation of a mobilization reserve in case of possible hostilities. Indeed, in 2016, only 2 thousand people expressed a desire to enter the military service as volunteers in Sweden.
In 2014, when relations between the West and Russia began to deteriorate, Sweden again returned to the tried and tested anti-Russian rhetoric. Although the Swedes have not fought with anyone for the past two centuries, they continue to view Russia as a formidable adversary that threatens the national security of the Swedish state. In 2015, Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultkvist called for an 11% increase in defense spending. At the same time, he openly stated that this increase is a forced measure against the growing Russian threat. The Swedish media, which are mostly strongly anti-Russian, also played a role. Since it is the mass media in the information society that determine the mood of society, the results of a sociological survey regarding the possibility of returning conscription to military service turned out to be very predictable - more than 70% of Swedes spoke in favor of returning conscription.
Ultimately, the military conscription into the Swedish army was returned. Although the bulk of the combat units are still contract soldiers, in 2018 about 4 thousand young men and women were drafted into military service. The conscription of women for military service today is carried out not only in Sweden. Once, almost the only country in the "Western" bloc where girls were called up for military service was Israel. Women conscripts were the IDF's trademark. In addition to Israel, women served in the armies of the DPRK, Libya, Benin, and a number of other African states, but no one expected anything else from them. In modern Europe, since it is constantly a question of gender equality, women also began to be called up for military service. In addition to Sweden, girls - conscripts appeared in neighboring Norway.
Unlike Sweden, Norway is a NATO member. This country has also long been very negative about Russia, being a key outpost of the North Atlantic Alliance in the northeast, in close proximity to the Russian border and strategically important facilities in the Murmansk region.
The law on the conscription of women into military service was adopted in October 2014. According to the law, women aged 19 to 44 are subject to conscription. At the same time, it should be remembered that for the Scandinavian countries the army is not only a purely military, but also a very important social institution. It is through conscription service in the army in the Scandinavian countries that, firstly, social rapprochement of representatives of various strata of the population - from the upper class to the social lower classes, is ensured, secondly, equality of men and women is affirmed, and thirdly - they are integrated into the Swedish, Norwegian or Finnish society young people from already very numerous families of migrants, receiving local citizenship.
Finally, in the Scandinavian armies there are good opportunities both for making good money - conscripts receive a fairly high salary, and in order to master some new specialty that is in demand "in civilian life" - in the armies of Sweden, Norway, Finland, all kinds of professional courses that help to master the knowledge and skills that are in demand. Yesterday's high school graduates return a year later from military service with good lifting money, or even with a certificate or certificate of obtaining a new profession.
In 2008, conscription for military service in Lithuania was canceled. The Armed Forces of Lithuania, also called the Lithuanian Army (by analogy with the Polish Army), have a very small number - just over 10 thousand servicemen. However, conscription for military service remained in Lithuania for eighteen post-Soviet years. In 2009, the last conscripts were demobilized, but only six years later, in 2015, conscription in the Lithuanian army was restored. The government of the country directly explained such changes by the need to increase the country's defense capability against the "Russian threat".
The shortage of recruits was also encountered in much larger European countries than Lithuania or Sweden. In Germany, for example, there are almost 83 million people, but this country, after the abolition of conscription, began to experience big problems with the shortage of contract soldiers. It is prestigious to get a contract in the army in Guatemala or Kenya, Nepal or Angola. In rich European countries, young people do not at all gravitate towards military service, even if the state is ready to pay generously for it and promises all kinds of benefits. The only ones who readily go to serve in the army are immigrants from Asian, Latin American and African countries, in whose families there is a low standard of living, and prestigious white-collar work in the civilian segment of the economy does not shine for them.
The scale of the problem is best indicated by the meager statistics. After the no longer recruiting new recruits to the Bundeswehr in 2011, the number of young German men and women willing to devote themselves to military service has decreased every year. So, in the first half of 2017, only 10 thousand men and women decided to enter the military service and conclude a contract. This is 15% less than in 2016. At the same time, the conclusion of the contract does not mean that the young man or girl will remain in the army. More than a quarter of young soldiers break contracts after passing the probationary period, when it turns out that the army is still a little different from what they imagined.
Now many German politicians are actively working on the issue of introducing the so-called. "Universal national service". They say about the same thing in France. The essence of this concept is, firstly, to return to the appeal of young people of both sexes for 12 months, and secondly, to provide an opportunity to choose between serving in the army, in auxiliary army structures, where it is not necessary to wear uniforms and weapons, as well as in civilian institutions. It turns out that any young person, regardless of gender, nationality and social origin, must give the state his civic duty. You don’t have the strength and health to serve in the army, you don’t want to wear a uniform out of convictions or for some other reason - please, but be welcome to a social institution, to a hospital, to a fire brigade, if only it would benefit society.
Such a service will provide European countries with young workers, and will also slightly reduce the growing unemployment rate. After all, some of the young people will be able to easily adapt to military service, look at the promised salaries, benefits, and decide to stay in the armed forces further.
French politicians, speaking of the need for conscription military service for the state, are guided by another important consideration. Now the population of European countries is becoming more and more variegated in ethnic and confessional relations. If before the French or Germans already had a French or German identity, now both France and the Federal Republic of Germany are home to a huge number of visitors from the countries of the Near and Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. There are a lot of young people among migrants, but they, due to the peculiarities of their social status, seem to drop out of society.
Traditional institutions of socialization like high school do not cope with the task of translating German or French identity into the masses of migrant youth. But such a task can be perfectly handled by compulsory conscription military service, during which a German and an Algerian, a French and an Eritrean, a Swede and a Pakistani may find themselves in one unit. In the army, the assimilation of a civil identity will be more efficient and faster than in civilian life. European politicians are sure of this, and the future will show how it will actually be.
